Chronicles of Absolution: Day of the Dead
by Kirabaros
Summary: 3.05. She is the most recognized character of this Mesoamerican holiday and the interesting thing is that she was developed circa 1910 as a political statement. Meet La Calavera Catrina... well the Winchesters and co. meet her as they try to prevent more gruesome killings and they may get an adventure that is more than they bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

**Chronicles of Absolution: Day of the Dead  
**

**Chapter 1**

Sam was packing his clothes getting ready to head out. Angela was anxious to get out of town and he didn't blame her. He saw her charge in and felt her power with his when they took on Samhain and he saw the look Dean shot in their direction. He didn't blame her at all.

"Tomorrow," a familiar voice came through, making him jump. "November second. It's an anniversary for you right?"

Sam turned to see Uriel sitting on the couch behind him. He asked, "What are you doing here?"

Uriel studied Sam as he continued, "It's the day Azazel killed your mother and twenty-two years later, your girlfriend, too. It must've been difficult to bear yet you brazenly use the power he gave you. His profane blood pumping through your veins…"

"Excuse me?" Sam interrupted thinking that Uriel was way out of line.

"You were told not to use your abilities," Uriel replied.

"And I suppose that counts for Angie too right? What was I supposed to do? That demon would have killed me and my brother," Sam replied.

"Leave the Malachi out of this. You were TOLD not to," Uriel countered smoothly.

"If Samhain had gotten loose in this town…"

"You've been warned twice now."

Sam felt his throat convulse with anger. "You know. My brother was right about you. You are dicks."

Uriel made his move and ended up in front of Sam really close. It would have scared lesser men but Sam held his ground. "The only reason you're still alive, Sam Winchester, is because you've been useful. But the moment that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you're worth – one word – one and I will turn you to dust," Uriel responded with the threat apparent in his voice and demeanor. He turned to put some distance between himself and Sam.

"And if you think about doing that, you'll find yourself in a world of pain."

Uriel turned around to find that the Malachi of Absolution was in the room standing next to Sam. The door was opened but it had been done so quietly… It actually impressed him. He walked up to where she was and said, "And you… You have your duty as the Malachi…"

"And you can spare me that Chuckles," Angela said giving a hard, firm look at Uriel. "I don't need you or your dick brothers telling me what my job is."

"Take caution in your tone Malachi. You may be the one who wields Absolution but that doesn't protect you from certain punishment," Uriel replied with a suggestive tone in his voice.

"And I would like to see that," Angela replied as she crossed her arms in defiance and sheer pissed offness. "I stopped believing the childish versions of angels long ago since you seem to get sheer pleasure out of wiping out a town completely because of one seal."

"And I would think carefully about your choices considering that," Uriel replied pointing at the bracelet on her right wrist. "The last time you were shall we say lucky?"

Sam said nothing as the standoff between Angela and Uriel was taking place. He had been surprised that she had managed to get in without a sound but was astute enough to conclude that she had used her abilities to get in. He thought it was foolish of her to talk to Uriel the way she was but he got the feeling that the angel's hands were tied and it looked like he was a bit afraid of her. That was a first since he was used to the demons being afraid.

Angela narrowed her eyes at Uriel. She knew the gauntlet was a gift and curse and she was stuck with it like she was with everything else that needed a hiding place or protection. She knew that business at the Academy had gone less than satisfactory according to her ridiculously high standards but at least the school was still functioning and most everyone was okay. She said, "And it is this thing that has the beasts under control."

"For how long? We both know your track record. Isn't November second significant to you as well?" Uriel mocked her and did it without remorse. He disliked her greatly but he couldn't touch her or he would face the consequences.

Angela felt her eyebrow twitch. Yes that date was significant on several levels. She was _not_ going to get into that. "I am well aware of the events that occurred."

Uriel chuckled, "Always the polite one in holding your temper. Better than you were when you were younger."

"I didn't know any better then," Angela replied firmly. "Now I know what complete assholes you can be and I'm not afraid to say it like I will say this: you so much as threaten Sam or Dean and I will be over your ass and I will literally stick it to you." Her eyes flickered that amber glow to indicate she meant what she said.

"Take caution and put some respect into your tone…"

"I mean it," Angela interrupted. "You can make claims of smiting me but recall this, I was chosen and certain things happened for a reason the past year or so. Someone higher than your superior must think I'm supposed to be stuck here to deal with your annoying ass."

"That's right. You were chosen to wield Absolution. It can be taken from you."

"I doubt that. She chose me and bonded with me. And I will gank your ass if you dare to turn either of them into dust."

"Don't be so sure of it," Uriel replied. He knew that he was overstepping boundaries here. Plus he knew what she was capable of since he had seen it. "As for Dean, tell him maybe he should climb off that high horse of his. Ask him what he remembers from Hell. Ask her what she knows of Hell."

Uriel was gone before anyone could reply. Angela stood there looking at the place he had occupied while waiting for her temper to die down. She had been close to just delivering a punch for the sheer hell of it. It wouldn't have done that much damage but it would have felt good. She muttered in Enochian the best curse she could come up with for Uriel.

Sam looked at her and watched her shoulders heave. She had been pissed. He didn't know what to say but managed to ask, "Angie?"

Angela heard Sam's voice and closed her eyes. Cosmic battles she would rather not have them involved but considering… it is what it is. She turned and said, "Sorry about that Sam. I lost my temper."

"I wouldn't call it that," Sam replied with a slight frown.

Angela raised her brow in return, "Hmm, anyway, I apologize. I shouldn't have interfered."

Sam continued to frown at her. "Uh I would think that Uriel telling me to stop would include you too." It was old news but now it was brought back to the forefront.

"Not really. Double standards crap," Angela replied muttering. She took a breath to calm herself down before working herself up into another bout of anger. "They know I will jump in between to prevent anything from happening to you or Dean. I just drew my battle line in the sand. They know I will play nice but that will stop the moment I think otherwise." She paused and sighed, "I shouldn't have come in when I did. It will be used as a means of mocking and assuming that you can't fight your own battles. I lost my temper and was foolish about it."

It was starting to make some sense to Sam. He had no doubts that she was good at the creeping through the shadows thing and he replied, "You were listening weren't you?"

"I was coming to see if you were ready when I heard… Uriel." She gritted her teeth as she said the name. "I didn't care what he said about me if anything and I knew you would hold your temper."

"The threat set you off."

"And it didn't help that I was already pissed at having to see him again." Angela ran a hand through her locks as she placed her other hand on her hip. "I am sorry about interfering but I am not sorry about meaning what I said. I am tired of everything good coming my way being taken because of some douchebag's idea of what things should be." She looked at Sam and said, "I lost you both once and though I got you back, I don't intend to let that happen again."

Sam remembered when she cried and for some reason, that stuck with him more than the stupid stuff she did like stunning him and not telling him what she planned to do. Aside from the fact that Lilith killed his brother, he wanted revenge because of that; Lilith made her cry. It sounded a little childish but Sam didn't like to see her sad and he couldn't explain why except that it was something Dean would have done for him when they were little.

Studying her intense expression, he knew that she was going to do her best to the point of death to make sure it didn't happen. Granted he didn't like that extreme, he knew she would do it and she would stick to her promise of being more careful. He replied, "You know we would do the same for you."

"I know but… this is…" Angela wasn't sure how to explain it. True it was out of love for both boys that she would do it but it felt like she owed it to Mary and John.

Sam had a vague idea of what was going on in her thoughts. "You don't owe anybody anything you know."

"Don't I? I did fuck up royally in the beginning."

"And you learned from it and you still let us make our own choices."

Angela made a slight smile. Sam had a way of remembering everything she said. She nodded, "I know. I guess it was from the years of practice with my strays." She felt her lips twitch in the smile that she wore. "Let them jump off a cliff and it is only then that they'll know that they can fly."

Sam said nothing in response to that. He knew that her biggest thing was learning how to deal with failure. It may sound weird since she was sure to have had disappointment quite a few times for as long as she had lived but it was like a devastating blow every time except for little things. She was trying since she seemed glad that the kids at the Academy were safe. That was all that mattered at that time. The fact that this seal was the second one they failed to prevent from happening was a blow but it was not crushing.

"So in akin to what I originally came here for, are you ready?"

Sam looked at Angela and thought she had a slight blush on her face and thought that to be strange. He ignored it for the moment and replied, "Yeah."

Angela walked over to where the waiting duffles were and picked them up. She left what Sam had been working on alone and hefted what she had on her shoulder. She wrinkled her nose slightly and said, "A trip to the Laundromat is in order… especially with Dean's socks. He's lucky I let him get away with it."

Sam couldn't help but chuckle. It was an ongoing thing between her and Dean over cleanliness. Dean made the mistake of calling her a germophob and she called him a slob and that escalated into an exchange of insults that didn't mean anything while she hand washed in front of them all of Dean's socks and made him strip the ones he had been wearing. The look on Dean's face was priceless when she did that. It was a nice break from the serious stuff that was going on but Sam couldn't forget what Uriel brought up.

There was the possibility that Dean did remember hell but he wasn't going to push yet. There was also the implication that Angela knew something about it or he could have mistaken her for Haley. He said nothing though and helped load up the Impala.

* * *

The Impala purred down the highway heading towards the next job wherever it took them. At the current moment the sleek black car was heading south to the sound of soft rock. To Dean it was much more tolerable to the potential of listening to Bach or whatever classic piano was. It enabled him to see that it was a reflection of the current mood of the driver.

Angela had driven the Impala to the park to pick him up. While he was there, he had a nice talk with Castiel about his choice to save the town from Samhain. It was there that he learned about the angel's relationship to his girl.

Castiel had told him that he wasn't a hammer and that he had doubts. It was a surprise to Dean when the stoic angel revealed that he had them for some time; ever since he had been assigned as the guardian of the Malachi. He said that he had orders to watch over her and help her if she called for it. When she did, the angel had been exposed to her way of doing things and she had begun teaching him a few things.

Dean thought that she hadn't gotten very far since Castiel still had a stick up his ass on things. However the more he thought about it, especially when she told the angel that if the others took it into their own hands to stop Sam from using his abilities she would have something to say, he could see her influence. It was subtle but Dean could see that Angela and Castiel were close and he suspected that he had helped her with her stab wound at the Academy which accounted for the faster than normal recovery rate.

The conversation also went into the use of Sam's abilities and Dean asked the angel why they didn't rally the troops against her. The only answer that Castiel could give at the time was that she had been born with her abilities. Dean suspected that there was more to it and it had to do with what she could do. He would have quizzed Angela when she pulled up but he decided against it when he saw the look on her face. He couldn't blame her really since he had been looking at her with the same expression he had with Sam. It made him feel like an ass but he wasn't sure what to think about it even though he had given a response previously in private.

The truth was he felt like they were all stuck in the middle on this. He and Sam were more active in terms of their opinions on the subject and Angela… It was like she was taking an apathetic stance on everything. She even admitted that she didn't have a problem with it and was well aware of certain fine lines but she wasn't going to tell them what to do. She didn't tell Sam to stop but she had mentioned something about handling with care and Sam seemed to understand that.

"You need a pit stop?"

Dean realized that she had been asking him a question and he had missed it. Sitting up in the back seat he replied, "I'm good."

"Dean."

"Seriously," Dean replied. "Just thinking."

"Shall I alert the media?"

Dean looked to see Angela giving a slight smile in the rearview mirror. Sam was giving a quiet chuckle as he was looking through his email. He replied, "Yeah laugh it up Angie. I know I'm not as smart as you."

"You're just as smart as the next guy. You just have a different way of using it," Angela replied in a low and gentle tone. "Like making butt calls to my cell."

Sam burst into a snicker that sounded like a chortle. Dean scowled at that, "I do not."

"Don't play that card Dean. You know I'm already going to win," Angela countered. "I do have to admit that the reason I know you are intelligent is because you have the benefit of having a smart ass."

Sam was laughing by now and Dean was spluttering. Angela was chuckling in her throat. Dean said, "You saying…"

"That you have a smart ass," Angela finished. "Believe me it's a lot better than certain dicks with wings." She became a little quiet as she kept her eyes on the road. She made a slight correction to avoid some debris.

Sam grew a bit quiet at that. It was a telltale sign to Dean and he bit on the line, "Cas pay you a visit too?"

"No. Cas may have a stick up his ass but he's not a dick," Angela replied. After a pause she added, "It was Uriel and it was one of those hold your breath moments."

"Not really considering that you were the one that…" Sam looked at Angela. He received a slight nod to acknowledge that he was right to some degree.

Dean suspected that a lot was going on or had happened. He figured it was Uriel that paid a visit and it was probably to Sam and she just happened to be there and didn't like what was said. He remembered when Castiel first introduced Uriel to them. Angela looked like she was expecting a bomb to go off or something when she first saw him even though her reaction was subdued. She made up for it when she called the angel by name and proceeded to be insulting.

"I take it that you had a few choice words huh Angie," Dean clarified.

Angela cursed a bit in Enochian since she had found an insult that she felt suited Uriel before replying, "The benefit of knowing multiple languages. You can always find a few choice words for anything." She paused a bit and then added, "I know Uriel well and I know who he answers to. I am treading a fine line as far as he's concerned but… to hell with it. Asshole screwed with me once and I'm not going to let it happen again. Cas knows that."

Dean didn't say anything about that since he figured Uriel did something stupid like threaten Sam in front of her. That would be guaranteed to put her in a foul mood for a while. "So Cas is on your side?"

"Cas knows I mean what I say. I did actually kick Uriel's ass once a long time ago."

"You?"

"Hard to believe I know but at the time I was just pissed." Angela looked through the windshield at the highway as they headed south. She could make a pit stop in Lawrence to see Mary but she knew how Dean would feel about that. She knew what it took for him to suck it up and go back to the old house and she suspected that Sam's persistence from his vision and the fact that the family there needed help propelled him to move through it. She wouldn't put him through that.

It had hit a nerve with what Uriel said about tomorrow. Yes it was an anniversary and it was pretty much the reason that she had never celebrated her birthday since then. It had been a kick and stab in the guts twenty two years later. It didn't help that she went through her bouts of she supposed was depression around this time of year because every year was a reminder that she was as Sam called himself, a whole new level of freak.

The freak part she got over since she changed her mindset that it was somewhat a blessing (tongue in cheek) that she was alive still even though she did accidentally kill herself and had been near death numerous times within the past year. The other two were things that she wasn't willing to work past.

"Hey. I knew you were strong but man," Dean made a slight toss of his head. "Though I might say that you have a pair."

Angela made a face with her lips trying to decide on whether or not to laugh at Dean's comment. She didn't have to since at that moment the radio station that was cued in decided to play a song that Angela hadn't heard in a long time. Well she had heard it before but every time she did, she burst in tears or walked out of the room. She really couldn't do that since she was driving so she did what she could do and turned it up.

If Sam or Dean thought it odd that she would turn the volume up, they didn't say a word. That was her doing since she was the eclectic and she was a devout follower of the house rules regarding the car. They had sat through Mozart, pop boy bands, country, rock and emo music so when she turned up the volume on this particular song, they didn't complain much though Dean did make a slight hum before settling in the back seat to enjoy the rest of the trip sleeping.

Angela was thrust back to 1973 to a day when she was made privy to some happy news. It was the day that Mary revealed how she really felt about John Winchester. Technically she should have been gone already since she had long since finished the job she had done at Mary's school where they first met. Yet she stayed and rented a room where Mary liked to hang out at.

Angela was the hunter even though Mary had been brought up in the life. It was how she met Samuel Campbell and every time she went over for dinner was nerve wracking since the old man decided to quiz her about everything and would make snide remarks about her. Mary was different. She wanted out and Angela said that she should do what her heart said. Of course that didn't go over too well with Campbell.

The day that Mary said that she was in love, Angela was happy for her friend. Even more so was when Mary said that she was sure that John was going to propose. It made her happy but it also made her realize a few things. It was a sign that it was time to move on from Lawrence and get back on the road. She didn't want to be a buzz kill but Mary knew her pretty well.

That day they were sitting in the diner. Mary was sitting across from her and she asked her if she was leaving. It had been blunt in its delivery but Angela wouldn't accept anything less from her.

The music that had been playing was the new stuff but then it played 'I've Got You Babe' and Angela listened to it for a moment. She then looked at Mary who looked ready to cry. That was then that she made the decision that went against everything in terms of her hunting and living off the grid. She looked at Mary and said that she would never leave her completely. She could remember the exact words she had said.

_I'll never leave you Mary. You know the life and you know what I am. I have to move on._

_ Angie, don't go. You could be happy. I want you to be a part of my life._

_ You know I can't but I promise you this. I will always watch over you. I won't let what you are trying to escape from find you. That I promise. I've got you._

_ I've got you too._

Angela thought about it as she continued to drive. Silently she cursed Uriel for bringing it up because now it would be on her mind for the rest of the day. She knew what day it was tomorrow. She had it all planned out as part of her plan for working past it. _Respect for the dead seems overrated… at least with a dick like Uriel around._

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome folks to 3.05 Day of the Dead and we kick things off when Uriel threatens Sam about using his powers. Not a good start but we'll see where it goes. Keep watching for more Day of the Dead...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The motel looked like it had seen better days but it was the best there was in town. They could have gone further but Angela could tell that everyone was beat. Maybe in the morning could prove to be promising in terms of finding a job. She pulled up to the main office and left the car idling while she went to book the rooms for the night, pulling money from what she jokingly called the trust fund.

It was her suggestion that they have a general pot that could be dipped into when they needed cash to book a room or needed funds to go hustling. It basically was a mini bank… well sort of. The idea was that it was to be used for things that were things that had been a quibble in the past. One was the paying of rooms. Pride was a rather rampart virtue and vice, and a suitable middle needed to be found hence the suggestion of the trust fund. They would all contribute to it and use it if they didn't want to use the credit cards, etc.

Angela dipped into the trust to get two rooms that were preferably away from other people. The receptionist looked at her, probably to see if she was a lowlife or on the run. It had Angela freeze internally for a moment since she was anxious that the FBI didn't believe that Sam and Dean died in Monument. She had similar experiences before but with the way things were, she would have preferred that they squatted in an empty house.

As it turned out, she didn't need to worry. The receptionist bought the story that Sam and Dean were her brothers. In truth she considered Dean a brother. Sam was another story since her feelings were different. Still that can of worms was best kept as a brother-sister relationship so in essence she was telling the truth. She was handed two sets of keys for two rooms and she went back to the Impala to drive to the end of the row of rooms.

Even idling the boys were sound asleep and they hadn't woken up when she pulled to a stop. Angela couldn't help but smile fondly at them. The last time she had looked at the pair of them looking that peaceful was when they were kids while John was out on a hunt. It was one of those times when she snuck in to make sure they were all right. It was nerve wracking since Dean had been taught to be alert even when asleep but in the end, she was the master of that creeping through the shadows thing.

Smiling Angela got the gear into the appropriate rooms before deciding how to best wake up the boys. It was tempting to do a prank. It would relieve the mood she had been feeling the whole day and go to some way of making it up to the boys for her moody silence. She had been more like Liam's name for Sam; she was a goradh. Making a clicking sound with her tongue against her teeth, she leaned in and gently nudged Sam on the shoulder and made a slight hum when he woke up with a set of keys dangling in his face. With Dean she put her face really close to his and told him to wake up.

She was still laughing to herself as she pulled out clothes for the night. It had been a good wakeup call in her opinion. It certainly put her in a better frame of mind and she even brought a smile to Sam's face.

"You seem to be in a better frame of mind."

Angela felt her mood dip slightly but she was rather glad she had a visitor. She turned and replied, "Sometimes a little bit of fun takes the edge off. A better frame of mind gives way to a better focus on the actual job. I take it you've heard Cas."

Castiel looked at Angela. Of course he had heard and it put things in a difficult position. "I heard."

Angela studied the angel. When he didn't say more, she grew curious. She was meticulous though and reached into her satchel to pull out her laptop which she placed on the table. She played it casual, "So is there some sort of notice to HR that I should be aware of?"

"I don't understand what that means."

Angela made a slight face at that but she relented, "What do _they_ have to say?"

Castiel knew what she meant the first time she asked. He knew that it was a roundabout way of hers in asking how a situation was. He wanted her though to be serious about this. He looked around the room and then at her. "They are… not saying much."

"I figured. After all I did threaten Chuckles the specialist twice now and basically drew a battle line in the sand. I've pissed off quite a few people haven't I?"

"Uriel thinks that you should have more respect for your position and for us." Castiel didn't look at Angela but instead at the room. He could make out the protective sigils she had drawn.

"He's been saying that since the first time I said that I wasn't heaven's bitch and that I would do things my own way. Plus I told him to stick it where the sun don't shine." Angela walked through her room. She needed coffee so she put the crappy machine to work.

Castiel took a moment to look through the contents that had spilled out of her satchel. One item held his attention. It was a small book that looked very old and beaten but it had been taken care of. He held it and replied, "There are others who agree with Uriel. They think that you are abusing your position as the Malachi of Absolution."

"They are entitled to their opinions," Angela replied as she looked at Castiel. "I know you're supposed to follow orders like the good little soldier with no questions asked. You made that very clear the first time we met."

"I am not a hammer," Castiel replied, repeating the answer he gave Dean. Why he chose those words, he wasn't sure. "I have doubts…"

"Doubts which I first put there and only seemed to increase since you came back," Angela interrupted gently. She looked at the angel with a pensive look. "It's put you in an awkward position since I am assuming that they are giving you a hard time. You have to reason with me and put me in my place."

"That has come up," Castiel admitted. "My superiors think that our relationship, for lack of a better term, puts me in position to make you understand your role."

"So virtually by knowing me makes you their bitch," Angela clarified. She gave a slight shake of her head as she made a slight face. "They never learn."

"This is a serious situation Angela. Uriel has been demanding that you be punished for your insubordination. He wants you to be an example to others that attempt to…"

"Meaning he wants to make it clear that if Dean or Sam think about not obeying what they are given the same could happen to them," Angela replied still making a slight face. She rubbed her first finger under her nose as she paused to think for a moment.

"Not just the Winchesters but anyone else we recruit," Castiel replied.

"Well my answer is still the same Cas. If anyone comes to harm either one of my boys, they will find that they would rather deal with the wrath of God. And don't tell me I'm blaspheming." Angela pointed at Castiel to stop him from trying to correct her. "I don't want to deal with that since just thinking about Uriel and his… conversation still manages to piss me off. I am well aware of what tomorrow is and it is one day that I love and hate with equal passion."

Castiel wasn't sure of why the change in conversation but he could guess that it had something to do with what happened between her and Uriel. He knew the date too but he wasn't aware of the whole story. "Tomorrow is November 2nd…"

"I know Cas," Angela replied as she turned to look at him.

Castiel saw a flustered expression that had pain in it. "I apologize."

Angela gave a smile and put a hand on the angel's shoulder. "It's not your fault Cas. It's just me. A curse in that I was born on a day that has had nothing but death surrounding it; the coup de gras of all curses since I am technically of the living dead."

Castiel frowned slightly. "You aren't dead."

"Don't be too literal, Cas," Angela countered with a gentle tone. "You know vampires or anyone with vampire blood are called that since we do live lengthy lifespans as well as some other types of creatures." She looked at nothing in particular before looking back at the angel. "I don't expect you to understand but it is not a fluke. People have died on my birthday."

"But people die every day."

"But it's different when people you care about die." Angela gave a slight sigh at the cup of coffee she had managed to pour herself during the conversation. "It also doesn't help that every year reminds you that you are the oldest of your kind on record when most don't live past two hundred years."

"You are a special case."

"It's a whole new level of freak Cas," Angela corrected as she took a sip of the brew. It was tolerable. "I'm not a special case. Not so, considering that the times I've died and been brought back and near died… Those times I always meet someone who sends me back. It's not natural Cas and considering the things I've seen and what's been happening. I guess I should be thankful I haven't gotten on the crazy train."

Castiel wasn't sure of what to say. He was well aware of her age and what happened the years since he became her guardian. "You are special. You are the Malachi of Absolution; the one who is supposed to…"

"I know what is written Cas. I read the prophecies, in particular the book of the prophet Khalil. The notations of the Seer were also quite helpful and not to mention the table of royalty with my family history with certain deities." Angela paused a moment. She knew she was rambling a bit but she just needed to make sure that the angel understood he didn't have to go into that. Taking a breath, she continued, "Cas, it's what I've said countless times before: who is described is more likely my younger self but in reality I never met her. Instead it's been one choice after another that has led to some form of disaster."

"You're wrong."

"Cas, choice is what I believe in. It's a part of free will. The thing is the ones I make with best intentions end up in death. The sad thing is after everything that has happened I am still with the Winchesters."

Castiel watched as Angela finished her cup of coffee. He looked down at the book he was holding and looked at the pages his fingers thumbed through until he came upon the back cover. He read what was written and gave a slight nod. He then said, "It is your nature. The way you care about people even when they don't treat you as you should be treated."

Angela listened and remembered what Gabriel had told her when she visited A.D. before this and smiled at that. At least Fate was kind in one regard. "I know Cas. It's just that there are things that I am responsible for and Mary's and a good friend's death simply because I knew what was coming and I didn't do enough to stop it. It is one thing I have to live with. On occasion I curse myself for Dean and Sam when they died."

"Dean's death was the result of a choice he made when Sam died."

Angela loved moments like these. She knew that Castiel had been learning more about humans ever since he pulled Dean from hell. She started it and Dean picked it up. The angel still had a ways to go but even if he never got the stick out of his ass she would love him just the same. She replied, "Cas, it is not always seen in the forensic way you give facts. To know that there was a possibility to do something more… it's the kind of thing that doesn't go away. It haunts a person especially if the consequences bring pain to others that you care about. It's part of the reason why I still think that I am just a fluke that shouldn't exist. Yet I am still willing to give Uriel and any other dick who tries to mess with my boys a good and proper ass kicking."

Castiel gave a slightly puzzled frown as he observed Angela chuckle as she finished her coffee. She was a complicated person and he was fascinated by her. He didn't understand everything but he was willing to try. "I don't understand but I know that you haven't made a choice that wasn't paved with good intentions."

"I know. Damaged psyche, Cas, but there are some things that I haven't forgiven myself for." Angela looked at the angel and smiled, "Thanks Cas. I'm sorry if this is one more strike against you but I won't let Uriel threaten Sam or Dean like that without a warning. Sam's abilities may be a result of Azazel's doing but he is only trying to do what he thinks is right. They aren't that much different than mine even if they are tied to my healing ability."

"You are born with your abilities."

"I know but they are a part of him just like my need to drink blood when I am seriously injured. The way I see it is that he could pretend they don't exist or try to do some good with them or acknowledge them but choose not to use them." Angela looked at the angel. "It'll be okay Cas. I won't strike unless I'm fired upon."

Castiel said nothing more on the subject but was mindful of what had been said. His charge was strange in her thinking but she made a point. Yet there were also some points that she had yet to grasp in his opinion. He was well aware of the deaths that had occurred when she was nearby and could see how she would think that. Brushing those thoughts aside, he responded to a question and went into a conversation that reminded him of the times he used to sneak out of the garrison to see her.

* * *

The cemetery was lit up with the paper lanterns that were tradition. Earlier the families who had dead relatives resting there had set up memorials. They set up candles and pictures. At home there were elaborate altars. The paper lanterns, brown lunch sacks with candles in them, were lit around the various graves and lined the paths of the houses of the people. It was an elaborate affair every year that nearly bankrupted the poorer families but it was highly regarded and respected.

Dr. Roberta Silva made notations of her observations in the notebook that never left her person as she walked about the town. She had been there for nearly two months studying the people for her research on adaptations of religious and social events into the modern world. She had done some interesting things but this grabbed her interest.

Her host family said that while the observed holidays like Christmas and Easter were observed in accordance with their belief in the Church, this holiday held special significance. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, was a holiday that was centered around death, a sort of celebration of death.

Robbie Silva was aware of differences in how people celebrated death. She always thought that the insistence of being completely in black and somber faces was overdoing it. She was no stranger to death and while she missed him, she kept going. When she found out about this particular holiday, she thought that it would be a nice focus. She was surprised at the variation that occurred and figured it was something like the Obon dances in Japan. The dances varied from village to village but they all served the purpose of honoring the dead.

"Dr. Robbie. Late night?"

Robbie looked up and saw one of the more affluent members of the New Mexican town greeting her. She smiled and replied, "Always working Señor Juarez."

Robbie was always polite with everyone but she personally thought that Juarez was a sellout. The town was a mineral and farming town but there were some big land developers who thought that the land was valuable in terms of a resort or something like that. That was usually the case with these small towns that had gotten by on what the land gave them and it was usually because they had something valuable. She was well aware of the incident regarding Milagro years before but not everything could be a fairytale ending.

This land developing agency wanted to build a new housing development along with schools and a new supermarket or something like that. Robbie felt like she was gipped at first but she made the most of it. It was hard to ignore the people who were for this and materialistic; sellouts in that they were embracing the world of technology and such and ignoring where they came from. It was a sad reality with a lot of Hispanic people trying to make something of themselves.

"I hope you will like our celebrations."

"I'm sure I will," Robbie replied as she tucked her notebook in her bag. She started to walk to where she was staying when she saw something. It had her pause for a moment since she was sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Her curiosity led her to the middle of the cemetery. She followed the lanterns looking around in the direction she was sure that she saw the thing, whatever it was, was hiding.

As Robbie rounded the corner she looked to see some of the elaborate altars that she had heard and seen pictures of. She could recognize the little sugar calacas and the candles as well as the papel picado that was strung about the graves. She could also see the marigold petals that were sprinkled about. She could even make out a few dioramas with the familiar paper mâché skeletons. She couldn't help but grin at it as well as admire it.

Suddenly there was a noise and Robbie looked around. She had been in town a couple of months and had been the subject of pranks of the people. Mostly it was because she was a gringa even though she had ties to some of the Hispanic traditions from her mother's side. She took it in good humor and made it a game to try and catch the boys especially. It endeared her to the people, well the mothers at least.

Robbie wandered around the graves, taking care not to disturb the arrangements. She was certain it was a prank or joke but the eerie silence and noises were convincing her that this wasn't a joke. She wandered around the cemetery, drawn by the sound until she spotted something and headed towards it.

She ended up in the middle of the cemetery but the old part. It was rather creepy since there were no decorations. There was nothing, like it was the part of the cemetery that had people that were forgotten. The headstones were old and crumbling except for one. That one caught her interest.

The headstone looked like it was fresh cut in terms of engraving but there were signs of weathering. Robbie was no expert in stone weathering but she could tell that there was significant age to the stone. She stood in front of it and looked at it. The headstone was covered with brush and gave the impression that it was what helped to protect the stone from the elements but even that sounded a bit weak in her opinion.

Gently brushing the brush aside, Robbie found no name but an image. It was one of the most recognizable forms if you were familiar with it. She frowned a bit at that since it seemed strange to see the skeleton with the overly floppy hat. As far as she knew, the image was political satire at best unless… Robbie was an academic and her experiences in fieldwork were more like what was supposed to happen in theory.

She was distracted by a slight sound. Looking up Robbie spotted something in the brush. She pulled out the penlight that she carried when she went out at night and flashed it around. She pointed it in the direction she had heard the noise. She nearly jumped when she saw something that looked like a rodent jump out. Keeping the light on it, she saw that it was a hare and it bounded off into the wilderness. Robbie couldn't help but give a chuckle.

It was better than having the boys pull a prank. It was clichéd but it was obviously fun to scare someone in the cemetery. Robbie laughed a she flicked off her light. As soon as she did she saw what had been eluding her and she nearly fell back.

_No way. Halloween is over. This is crazy._

Robbie looked up from where she had fallen. It was looking at her and she stared back at it. It looked real. She saw the bones and it was fully articulate. It was also wearing the floppy hat and dress of the early twentieth century. The look it was giving her though was disturbing and Robbie thought it was going to attack her.

It didn't though and it left. Robbie frowned as it did and got up slowly as it walked away. She started after it. She was almost up to it when it flickered and disappeared. Robbie blinked as if it would make it appear. It couldn't have been real. It was impossible. There was no such thing.

A scream broke through the night. It was a bloodcurdling scream. It was the kind that spoke of something horrible like intense pain or something. Robbie looked in the direction that it came from. It was in the direction she saw whatever it was had disappeared in. She took off in that direction hoping that nothing was seriously wrong.

It was like playing leapfrog as Robbie leapt over the headstones. She tried hard not to damage any of the arrangements as she neared the newer part. The screaming was still going on and it sounded like the person was being skinned alive or being put under slow torture. It only spurred Robbie to run faster in order to help if she could. When she rounded the corner, she came to a sudden stop that it was a wonder she didn't fall and hurt herself.

Robbie felt her eyes bulge in fear and… she couldn't name it as she took in the sight. She recognized the guy as Juarez but he wasn't like how he was when she saw him earlier. The only reason that she knew it was the guy because she recognized the clothing he liked to wear, the good quality stuff that showed his status and that. It was the head that held her attention. Inwardly she cringed at the grotesqueness of the whole thing since it was pretty bloody but the sight of the decoration to his head had her frowning and wondering if she was crazy.

She was about to move when she heard noises. She was suddenly joined by people and a few of them were the police. Robbie didn't move but she looked at the cops that had come to look at the body. She was in trouble. She was sure of it since she was the only one with the body.

Sure enough the police officers came up to her and told her to put her hands up. She complied, thinking of how to get out of this mess. The only thing that seemed to work in her favor were more screams happening. One was a woman's scream that was more of one seeing something frightening and there were a few others. Robbie was brought along with others to another body that was in a similar manner. Robbie felt her eyes widen as she looked around. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted what she was sure the instigator of all of this. She muttered under her breath, "La Calavera Catrina."

* * *

**A/N:** Cas and Angie have an interesting conversation and it looks like there might be a spirit wreaking havoc here. Well now we know why this episode is called Day of the Dead ;) Stay tuned for next time...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The morning sun peeked over the edge of the world casting the first rays onto the land. The sky had soft colored hues as the sun continued to rise. The air was crisp; cool as the night air wore off but the heat of the sun could be felt as it rose over the hills. The heat of the sun could be seen by the wisps of smoke that arose in the air. The sun continued to rise indicating a new day had arose.

It was early but not too early for Sam to be up and it was one of those nights where he didn't have nightmares that normally kept him up. What was on his mind was what happened over the last couple of days particularly between Uriel and Angela. He remembered when Castiel showed up with the angel he called a specialist.

Her reaction was subdued but Sam could tell that it indicated recognition and annoyance. It wasn't the kind of annoyance like a fly. It was the kind that told him it was one of those things that she would probably want to keep buried. He was wrong on that account and she gave her opinion in the blunt way she always delivered when she happened to not like someone and it was clear that she and Uriel didn't like each other.

Sam was well aware that she had made it clear that there were going to be people they might meet that didn't like her and the feelings would be returned. What had him worried was the fact it was an angel, a being he knew nothing about, would be going against her and he had seen her capabilities, those that she was willing to show and he didn't want to think about how that would play out. He knew she would fight to the death if it was something worth fighting for.

It was a lot to think about and he figured that it was best to not bring it up and he didn't say much after that when she picked a direction and took off. Even though she had been in a mood, it hadn't been too bad. It was also an opportunity to actually see parts of the country that they would have never been able to see if Dean had been driving and he knew the highways pretty well. It had been a quiet trip and they were in some southwestern town with motel rooms ready to go when she woke them both up.

_Maybe today is a better day._

Sam knew it might be wishful thinking but usually a new day did make things better. He went out for a run and was on his way back when he caught sight of something. He had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Angela was staring straight ahead in complete concentration. If a parade were to go by, it wouldn't break. That was sure in Sam's opinion as he watched her. He was certain though that she could see what was in front of her. He felt his throat convulse as he watched her.

Angela was well aware of what was in front of her since she instigated it. She was balanced perfectly on both feet on the boulder she found to stand on. Looking right at her at eye level was a snake, a rattler. It was looking at her and she could make out the look of the snake, the black cold eyes, and she was looking back at it.

It was an old form of kung fu that was still in use today but as the old monkey Li told her, it took a lifetime to master. It was a joke between them since they shared the whole lengthy lifespan thing they had. Li had taught it to her stating that she had the discipline and flexibility to execute the moves. He also said something about her ability to 'dance' when she fought.

As it were, she was practicing what she had learned and face to face with the inspiration of a real snake. Standing there, she could see the snake but not really see it. She moved her arms slowly and firmly to shift her position along with her balance to one leg. Her body weaved and the snake's body weaved with hers. It took extreme focus and discipline to do what she was doing and she was wearing the scarf Castiel had given her and a slight breeze was blowing.

Sam had seen Angela do some freaky things and even he had been nervous with that thing she left in Bobby's salvage yard. It was a pointless argument since she would do it anyway and she had done worse when it was the real thing. If he were truly honest, he was rather fascinated by it and he was familiar with kung fu forms since she did start to teach him that one from Onigen.

He watched as she weaved and bobbed, copying the snake's movements. He was surprised that the snake wasn't reacting to the blowing scarf. Sudden movements tended to make them react the way they did which was strike. It was interesting to watch and Sam couldn't help but move closer.

Angela finished her routine as she finished with a pose that mimicked a snake standing up and ready to strike. She was still moving and weaving until she froze completely. The snake matched her movements and they stared at each other for a long time. It was the snake that broke form giving a little slip of its tongue and then moved away. Angela gave a slight smile as she lowered her limbs until she was in a standing position.

"Can we expect more of that while we're down here?" Sam called out once the snake was gone.

Angela turned into the wind. The breeze played with her scarf as she looked in the direction of Sam's voice. She replied, "Probably never." She then grinned as she jumped down and started walking towards Sam. She took in his clothes and asked, "Have a nice run?"

"Being polite again?"

"Nope. Just asking." Angela adjusted her scarf and then stretched her arms. "Makes sense since Dean and early don't go together."

Sam gave a slight nod in agreement. It was a rapid turnaround but this was her. "He gets up when he has to."

"You mean when he can't bully you into doing something like play babysitter. You really have to learn how to be quiet when creeping outside my window. People will think you both are perps," Angela replied as she started walking.

Sam blushed a bit. "Just…"

"No need to explain. I wasn't exactly being nice yesterday concerning a dick with wings that has a Saturn V rocket up his ass and he knows how to use it." Angela took a sniff of the air as she walked towards the midpoint between the motel and the out of the way diner that was there on the edge of the town they pulled into.

"I guess we agree on that," Sam replied getting over his embarrassment by the colorful description she gave Uriel. "So what was the whole thing with the snake? Were you copying it or something?"

Angela chuckled. She knew that the things that she did were rather scary in terms of how close to having a serious accident she got. Then again she told them a few times that they did equally dangerous things like getting out of bed every day. She had said it jokingly but she made her point. She then said, "You weren't watching closely enough Sam. The snake was copying me."

Sam frowned at that. It didn't make much sense to him but he was aware that the martial arts masters studied nature which was why they had the forms they did. "It was copying you?"

"A matter of making the outside match the inside. Like a mirror, quiet and calm, focus… a part of that balance thing I stress. It requires great focus and discipline to accomplish."

"Feel better then?"

"You know me well," Angela replied. "I do feel better; ready to see if there is anything here that is interesting to work on." She stopped and looked around. The sun was getting higher, just about the time for Dean to be waking up. She checked her watch just to be sure. Grinning a bit, she looked up and took in Sam's work out appearance. "I'll grab coffee and a paper. You might want to hurry if you want to beat Dean to the hot water."

Sam watched as she turned in the direction of the diner with a slight smile. She was ready to go after another job. It was how she worked and very much like how Dean dealt with problems. She was willing to talk about it to some extent and then retreat behind work. Still she did look like she felt better about the whole thing. Her comment about Dean and stealing the hot water said that much. He decided to take her advice and hurried to beat Dean to the shower.

Meanwhile Angela went into the diner and ordered three cups of coffee. It was then that she noticed the pie in the display. It looked fresh along with the muffins that were on display. She smiled and pointed at the display, "I'll have two slices of pie and four of those muffins please."

The owner made to move and Angela watched him. It was then that she heard, "Still the same with your food choices I see."

Angela turned to see Uriel standing there. He looked very out of place in his suit in a dusty town in the middle of nowhere. She glanced at the owner and the look he gave her told her. It was one of Uriel's subordinates. It vaguely occurred to her that she might be in trouble. Uriel wasn't one to forget things. She looked at the angel and decided to be cute, "Well sometimes you need to sweeten a deal if you want some form of cooperation."

Uriel wasn't impressed. He took a step forward to study the Malachi of Absolution. He noticed that she was wearing the standard that had been given her and probably not out of respect to her position. He narrowed his eyes and replied, "And is that what you call diverting the attention of the Winchesters to the larger picture?"

"Oh I would give them more credit than that when it comes to understanding a bigger picture," Angela replied. She gave a wry grin as she said it along with a nod. "Maybe I was just buying it for you. A little sugar could sweeten that sour face. I know it makes me feel better and I don't have to worry about gaining a pound."

"Still making everything out to be a joke," Uriel replied with a disgusted smirk on his face. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You know I think I made that clear when you showed up with Cas stressing the urgency to find the witch and all that." Angela made a face to stress a condescending appearance. She cast a glance at the angel that was in the diner owner and saw him look away. "Besides without looking for the funny side of things, it can make a job seem dull."

"This is not a joke. You may have stepped up into your role and using your… abominable abilities…"

"Oh finally something we can agree on," Angela quipped in a mocking manner. "Then again you don't see me telling you that yours are abominable when they are roughly the same."

Uriel stepped up into her face. "Don't you ever compare yourself to me, alright?" You have the blood of…"

"Yes I know. I'm an abomination because I am a dhampir. My kind weren't even supposed to exist but hey…" Angela gave a shrug of her shoulders. "That's what you get when a war occurs between gods and Ancients. Of course that was _way_ before my time."

Uriel gave a smirk that was filled with disgust. "You think you are special."

"Not really. I just don't want to be someone's bitch. I didn't like it before."

That was the opening that Uriel needed and he exploited it, "Ah yes and I believe that involved someone you know well. I have to hand it to him since he knows best how to control you."

Angela narrowed her eyes at that. Of course they would know about the Old Man. She made a slight lip movement like she was going to chew it. "So you want to go that route? Or are you too afraid to attempt to beat the living crap out of me?"

"Don't tempt fate," Uriel replied. "You're treading on thin enough ice with our last… conversation."

"Well you made a threat and I didn't like it. What did you expect?" Angela walked over to inspect a hat that had been left behind. It was a fedora and dark brown with a narrow band. She wanted to laugh because it reminded her of her guilty pleasure. She held it in her hands and looked at the angel and said, "So really what is it that you want of me Uriel? Are you trying to bully me like before?" She studied the angel and tensed.

Uriel knew this tactic. It went from the jokes and then to seriousness. He grinned, "So you're switching tactics. No more jokes?"

Angela walked back to where she had been standing with the hat in her hands. She looked at the angel. She said nothing but raised a brow. She wasn't going to rise to that.

Uriel was surprised that she didn't retort. It appeared she was going to wait for him to answer her question. He made a humming noise. "Well it seems that you've a few things."

"Patience is a virtue," Angela mocked. "At least one of us has some."

It was quick as Uriel pinned her to against the counter. He caught her eye and looked at her. "I would have thought your experiences in hell would teach you a few things as well as you teaching Dean."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "The pit has many lessons. When the pupil is ready, the master will appear. You, dick, aren't ready."

Uriel grabbed her wrist. He made the mistake of grabbing the wrist with the bracelet. She narrowed her eyes and it appeared as a gauntlet and she pushed him away. He chuckled as he watched her take a standing defensive stance. "So you really are going to go that route. Then take this warning. It's the same as I gave Sam Winchester. The minute you cease to be useful, I won't hesitate to end you and be rid of your existence. It doesn't matter if you are the earthbound angel."

Angela flickered her eyes and the stone on the bracelet glittered dangerously. "Take your best shot then when that happens. Maybe we can agree on a fair fight… your superiors agree of course. Until then my offer stands. Any harm comes to the boys, then it is on."

"Foolish abomination." Uriel paused before leaving. "I wonder if Sam Winchester knows the few secrets of your personal hell." He was gone before Angela could say anything.

Angela blinked both her eyes and slowly bent down to pick up the hat. She looked to see the owner pushing the coffee and her sweets order towards her. She raised her brow as she left the appropriate amount. She put the fedora on her head and picked up the order and left.

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Angela made a slight shrug as she put the coffee and the pie and muffins on the table. She ended up replying like a kid would, "Nowhere." She was thinking about Uriel's recent appearance. It was no coincidence that he showed up and she was well aware that there were a few that didn't like her and that was because she questioned everything the first time she met them. "I got breakfast."

Dean raised his brow as he finished toweling his hair. He had beat Sam to the shower and was now enjoying the morning time with his favorite girl. He put the spent towel on his bed and went to pick up the radio that was cued to police frequencies. He put it on the table and said, "Well I hope it gives you enough energy cause I think we stumbled onto a case in this town."

Angela had pulled out a slice of pie and pushed it towards Dean along with the fork she remembered to get when Dean set the radio scanner on the table. It seemed the day was looking up a bit if there was a case… and it didn't have to do with a seal. "Oh? You care to enlighten me or are you waiting for a quorum?" She looked at Dean and gave a smile.

Dean had pulled the pie she pushed towards him close and had started giving it the good treatment since he knew that she appreciated the beauty of pie. He was in the middle of a bite when she asked him the question. It was typical Dean fashion to answer with his mouth full, "Hey I'm willing to wait for Samantha though it might be a while considering the treatment he gives his hair."

"I heard that, Jerk."

Dean chuckled as he swallowed. "That was a compliment Sammy but you and I both know the truth."

Sam opened the door and stuck his head out. "Shut up." He closed the door with a slam.

Angela waited a good five seconds before saying, "You really need to lighten up on those jokes Dean. He's still a bit sore about my prank." She gave a slight smile even though she knew it wasn't that funny.

"Come on that was weeks ago." Dean looked a bit scandalized at the idea that Sam was really picking a bone with that.

Angela gave a slight hum as she pulled up her legs. She still hadn't taken off the hat and it tipped over her eyes slightly as if she were going to sleep when she leaned back with her coffee. She then said, "It was a surprise to him because it was a first and I never made an issue of it before. I could see where he was coming from and I've been trying to make it up."

"Still…"

"We settled the score but I've tried not to bring it up. In fact I'm more inclined to think that Sam's upset because someone used up all the hot water," Angela replied casting a knowing look in Dean's direction. She took a sip of her coffee and tipped the fedora back up. "I know you did."

Dean gave a sheepish grin, "Leave it to you to figure things out. What would we do without you?" He then gave his most endearing smile towards her.

"No one likes a brown nose," Angela replied teasing.

At that moment, Sam came out fully dressed and ready to chew Dean out over the hot water issue but decided against it since Angela was there. He was surprised when she held up behind her a cup of coffee which he took and even more startled when it was followed by a bran muffin with cranberries. She wasn't looking at him but she guessed correctly where to hold it. She said, "Coffee's black and the bran is a whole grain."

"Thanks Angie," Sam replied. When he glanced at Dean's pie and then at her, he noticed her smile and he returned it. She knew his food preferences and always managed to try and make it possible to have something that resembled healthy on the menu, whether she made it or if it was the crappy diner food. He knew though that she was making up for her behavior from the day before and in his and obviously Dean's view, she didn't need to do that. He knew that Uriel reminded her of what today was, something she didn't need reminding, and he knew that she sort of pulled herself up because she had to.

"Just making the insides match the outside," Angela replied as she took a sip of coffee. Her voice had taken a slight husky tone as she drank the coffee. "Dean said he may have a case for us."

Dean was doing his best not to spit out his coffee since he was sure that comment was a health fetish joke but the tone of voice was unmistakable. Was she getting careless? It was hard to tell since she had that fedora tipped forward and it covered her eyes so he couldn't see her thoughts. He could see his brother looking at him expectantly and completely unaffected by the comment. It had Dean wonder if his brother was seriously out of the loop with this. Knowing what was expected of him, he replied, "Scanner picked up a killing. Well actually two. Rich guy gets skinned to the bone but peeled like a banana in the cemetery, creepy by the way, and the second was by a roadside altar. Done the same way."

"Could be a serial killer," Sam pointed out.

Angela said nothing. In fact to Dean it looked like she was asleep but with that hat on, it was hard to tell. He looked at Sam and replied, "As you've said, we worked with less. Besides you know if a human could peel a guy like a banana down to the waist?"

Angela wasn't asleep. She was listening and thinking. She could hear the conversation go back and forth and could argue that they did have grounds for a case. Her thoughts were on the timing. Of course she rationalized that things happened every day. She could remember Christmas before Dean bought it and that whole thing. Somehow it seemed that every supposed to be special day in her life had a sign that said she was open for supernatural business.

It was partially the truth when she explained to the boys that Christmas was just another day to her like a Tuesday or Thursday. Of course she was giving an excuse at the time so she could get their gifts but in actuality that was how her life was run. She had given up on traditional and normal ideas of holidays and the like but buried deep down it was a hope. That was a hope and there was another that she kept and only the astute knew about it.

What Dean told her had her thinking about whether or not it was a coincidence. As she was fond of saying to Castiel, true coincidences were rare. Most of the time she just attributed it to a personal curse since things undoubtedly happened on this day. Uriel had liked reminding her of that since there were other things that happened on that day and he knew about what she knew. This wasn't any different from her birthday slump the year before and she figured that what she needed was a good old fashioned hunt.

"We've worked with less and you know it Sam."

Angela glanced at the brothers to see that they were about to come to blows over whether or not to take it. She settled it, "Why not? At least check it out. It could be human but then again it couldn't be. Spirits and humans can do the same thing."

Her voice had come from out of the blue and it silenced both brothers as they looked at her. Dean was the first to respond, "Fuglies I get. Humans I don't."

Angela looked up at Dean with a smile. "Tell me about it. So we doing this?"

Dean looked at Sam and Sam replied, "Sure."

"Good," Angela replied standing up and she downed the rest of her coffee. She tossed it where it landed in the wastebasket and continued, "I'll check out the cemetery and you two do the usual asking the questions." She paused a moment and turned towards them, "You two okay with that."

"I'm fine with that," Dean replied. "Nothing like an interrogation to make the outsides match the insides."

"Okay," Angela replied with a slightly puzzled frown. She put a finger to the brim to the fedora to push it up to see better. She turned to leave.

"You have your whip?"

Angela grinned and turned to Dean and replied, "That would be my other jacket… and I know how to use it."

"On bad boys?" Dean replied while Sam looked like he was going to throw up.

"Be bad and you'll find out."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like things are going okay except for the presence of Uriel. Looks like Dean and Angie are back to flirting and they took it a step further. Stay tuned for more on Day of the Dead...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sam didn't know if he wanted to throw up or say something or anything. He was used to Dean hitting on various girls when they were on the job and the occasional comment thrown in the direction of Angela. At least he thought so. That exchange between his brother and Angela was just plain weird. It was downright sickening at the thought.

He knew Dean flirted with Angela but never before had she responded in a manner that suggested she was flirting. It made him wonder if there was something going on between them beyond the usual banter that they shared. He had to admit that they had picked up their relationship as if Dean had never been gone and theirs was almost stilted. If he were truly honest with himself, it had gotten better in that when they had just hung out she made him smile.

After his talk with Liam, Sam decided to sit back a little. He had noticed that he might have hurt the prospect of her having friends other than the two and a half vamps and possibly even a relationship. It was a growing up thing and he thought that if she wanted a relationship with Liam then she could. It wasn't his business anyway and she would be the first to say that. Putting the thought aside, he looked at Dean and they went in to the medical examiner's office to look at the bodies.

Growing up in the hunting business had exposed them to a lot of things like the blood, the guts and even the ectoplasm. What they saw though was something that probably not even Bobby could stomach. For a brief moment, both brothers wondered how Angela would react and it was more like idle curiosity and not wanting to be morbid about it. They both knew that she had a different way of seeing things and she had hinted that she had seen things that she believed no one should have to see.

"Well at least he knows how to dress nice," Dean offered as he and Sam stared at victim number one.

Sam felt his throat convulse with the possibility of bile coming up. It would just be fate working against him if he puked now. Dean would never let him live it down for the next five towns. He managed to ask the coroner, "Was the victim like this when he was found?"

"Both of them were. I've seen strange things but this I've never seen. It's almost as if someone were trying to make a statement."

"That's your theory Doc?" Dean looked at the coroner to see if there was anything else.

"I'm just the guy that tells you how and when. The who and why are up to you," the coroner replied as he went to go process some notes.

Sam managed to control the feeling in his stomach to peer at the body. As Dean had said, it had been stripped clean from the top to the waist and it was like a banana. The initial look suggested that the guy was alive when he was peeled. In Sam's mind that would have been pure physical torture and someone would have had to have heard something.

Unfortunately there were few witnesses and one was a person of interest, a Dr. Robbie Silva. Sam could foresee an interview with the doctor sometime soon but right now he was stuck with two bodies that looked identical in terms of how they had been stripped and how their remains were treated.

Aside from the fact that they were stripped, and cleaned to the bone, both bodies were wearing hats. That and they were dressed in dresses that belonged probably early twentieth century. The whole appearance looked pretty gaudy from Sam's view but that was a different style then. "You have any idea what to make of this Dean?"

Dean had adjusted his tie to give him some breathing room. Fuglies he got but it was people that were a mystery to him. It was a fond expression he had and his girl could agree with him on that and she had lived a lot longer than he had. He cast a glance at his brother and kept the myriad of thoughts to himself.

He knew that whole thing with the whip had sent Sam on a whirlwind. He knew it was by the way she responded. It shouldn't have been too weird to Sam since he was always embarrassed when she said something that resembled a dirty joke or something like that. The more that Dean thought about it, he realized the tone sounded different when she said it. He knew Angela was not the kind of person to do things like that to torture Sam. She'd as soon as cut off her hair than do something like that to Sam. It was like leaving a starving and injured puppy on the side of the road to die.

It hadn't been easy the past couple of months and yet to Dean, it was like they had never been apart. Sure there were a few things that they talked or sort of talked about like her new mojo that was… Yet during the last couple of days she seemed like she was just blandly accepting things and she casually talked about kicking Uriel's ass like he was one of those douches that tried to play cute with her. Something had to have been said and it put her in this weird thoughtful mode.

The only other time he could compare to a mood swing that was not typical of chicks in general was her last birthday. That though was more of a depression. This was more thoughtful. It was something to think about since she treated him and Sam as normal as it got. Maybe that stab wound and her nearly dying… again… was enough to trigger a reevaluation on life. Focusing on the case in front of him, Dean replied to Sam's question, "I don't get people."

Sam made a slight face at that. It was a sign that his brother didn't know what to think. He certainly wasn't familiar with it. The best thing to do was to take pictures and try to ask Angela if she knew anything. It was automatic to defer to her and he didn't think twice about it. He pulled out his cell phone and took a picture and looked closer.

It really was gross and once you got past that, fascinating in how the flesh was stripped cleanly. There wasn't a scrap of muscle, tissue, fiber, no nothing on the bones. In Sam's view it was either supernatural or someone had time on their hands. He was willing to bet it was a spirit or something since two victims in one night and the level of stripping the flesh, no human could do it that fast.

The clothing was something else. Since it was not of this time, Sam was sure that Angela would know about it. He wasn't sure if it was relevant but every detail counted especially if they wanted to know what it was that killed two people. He looked at Dean and replied, "I'm with you on that but I don't think it was… human." He whispered the last part.

"No shit Sherlock. We have no idea what did it."

"Thinking spirit," Sam muttered.

"A spirit do that?" Dean motioned towards the body. While it was plausible, traveling with Angela taught them both that nothing was always what it appeared to be. They could be dealing with a demon with a wicked sense of humor. It was a daunting possibility and Dean wasn't in the mood for another demon case so soon.

"Just a suggestion," Sam replied to calm his brother down. He gave a smile at the coroner as the report was handed to him. He opened it and made sure the pertinent information was in there. The only thing they could do was compare notes and do some research as well as enlarge the pictures he had taken on his phone.

Dean was less impressed. "Well got anything else?"

"Something best left for a roundtable discussion," Sam replied through gritted teeth.

Dean got the hint. It really was something to be discussed outside the presence of civilians. He thanked the coroner and led the way out. Once they were outside he said, "Okay so we've got banana peeled guys dressed in dresses and hats that look like they belong in a theatre or museum."

"Basically yeah," Sam replied as he followed Dean to the car.

"My kind of case," Dean said in a slightly sarcastic manner. He checked his watch and noted the time and it was confirmed by the growl in his stomach. "Well you know I can't work on an empty stomach. Let's get some tacos."

Sam knew it was pointless to argue when Dean was hungry and that was usually every hour or so. He wondered how he managed to put up with the human garbage disposal for so long as he sat in the car while Dean systematically hunted out a place for his tacos. Briefly he wondered about Angela and if she had anything to snack on. She may have lost weight but she still could eat like a horse and sort of needed to, given her metabolic rate. Come to think of it, she really didn't eat much anymore and he found that a bit troubling.

Dean found a place that had tacos but they weren't in his traditional sense of the word. They were the kind that had a tendency to get messy and the kind that Angela could eat effortlessly without making a mess. A lose-lose for Dean but his stomach wasn't going to argue. He was hungry and he dug in with his brother looking on with slight amusement and the usual disgust since he was talking with his mouth full, "So you're thinking a spirit. Well answer this, what kind of spirit dresses its victims like a damn horror picture show?"

Sam toyed with what he had ordered and took a tentative bite. He tried not to say anything about Dean's habits since it would be a cold day in hell before Dean even contemplated the meaning of manners. Then again she always managed to get him to behave… "The clothing is early twentieth century by my guess."

"You take fashion design College Boy?" Dean gave a slight grin to indicate that he was teasing.

"History class," Sam supplied not wanting to get into that discussion. The truth was that it was something he found of Angela's. When she was doing her lesson plans at the Academy, he noticed that one of the books had nothing to do with art. It was one of those rare moments where she was relaxed and readily showed him what it was about and he was treated to what he thought was a history version of a fashion catalogue.

He had teased her about a sewing class project. It had been as gentle as he could make it since he had been worried about hurting her feelings. He shouldn't have worried since she smiled at him and said that clothing was an art form too and showed him designs from the early twentieth century and gave a history lesson on the style. He relaxed but he still had the doubt that he might have hurt her feelings since she never really took back the ribbons he had tried giving back to her.

Sam still had them. He had tied them together so they wouldn't get lost and kept them in his jacket pocket. She never brought it up and he assumed that she was taking that stance of all was forgotten. He kept them because there was something in the way how she said that her mother had made them.

Dean was unaware of the internal monologue Sam was having as he replied, "Oh so we've got a spirit that likes to play dress up. Maybe you can do a search on this."

Sam was deep in thought and hadn't heard a word. His thoughts were on her and the fact that if he really put pieces together, she wasn't the mothering hen that hovered in the background. Well she was but further back. It wasn't recent but the timing was perfect in the sense. They just never brought it up again since she explained why last year and he figured that her mind was more on what Uriel said in that room.

"Earth to Sam. Francis, you awake?"

Sam turned to realize that Dean was snapping his fingers in his face. "I'm fine Dean."

"Sure you are," Dean replied. "And stop it."

"Stop what?"

Dean rolled his eyes slightly. "I'm not stupid Sam. I know what today is just like you do."

"So?" Sam could feel his defenses creep up.

"Leave it alone," Dean said. He sighed a bit and added, "You and I both know how she is about today and it's starting off good. Better than last year. Don't mention it and she won't think about it. Got it?"

"Don't boss me Dean. I know. I was thinking more about what Uriel said to her."

"Leave it Sam. As much as I would like to kick the douche's ass myself or even ask Cas if he could do it but let's face it, it's one of those things she's not gonna open up about. You know how she feels about us." Dean deliberately threw that last part out there. He had noticed that Sam had been in deep thought the past twenty-four hours and the looks he gave their girl.

"I know she would throw herself under the bus for the both of us like it's some debt to pay. At least that's what it seemed…"

Dean realized that Sam was on a different track and as usual missed the hint he threw out there. His brother's head was in the game revolving around what happened with Uriel. Something must have been said between them that didn't get discussed. "Debt? Sam, Dad released her from that if that handshake was anything to go by."

Sam gave a knowing look. "You know she doesn't think short term."

"I know Sam but I think you're overanalyzing it. Just leave it since we all know the date. Let's just focus on the case."

Sam knew that Dean was done with the discussion by the decisive manner he started chomping on his tacos. Pulling out his laptop, he began a search on the local papers and anything that had something similar. Subconsciously he put his hand in his jacket and rubbed the ribbons in his pocket and hoped she was having better luck and maybe was able to work through her thoughts. "Well there is the witness, Dr. Silva…"

* * *

Cemeteries were often made out to be creepy and they always carried a somber feeling about them. Basically, places made to make you feel very afraid of the unknown. They actually had their own sense of personality. Angela certainly could appreciate them.

Angela was well aware that it sounded weird to appreciate a cemetery considering that she had put a substantial amount of people in places like the one she was standing in over the years. Yet she could appreciate the effort made by people in terms of the care of their dead. Tombstones were an art form if one left the morbidity behind to really see it. Complex or simple, they were all works of art and given to honor the dead.

_Interesting how so many give more to the dead than the living._

It was an interesting thought. Angela had lived long enough to see the elaborate funerals people had for dead loved ones. Even she had to admit that with things nowadays she found it absurd to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a box that people were only going to see you in once. She used to actually advocate cremations but after the smallpox plagues, she had lost a desire to do them. Now she preferred a straight pine box that even she could make with shoddy materials.

She walked through the cemetery noting the difference in the weathered stones. Her thoughts led to the fact that not too long ago she had paid a visit to the grave of a friend. One of many who had died and all because they knew her; a part of the curse she was sure she had been born with.

"Your incessant need to self-berate is… baffling."

Angela didn't say anything first but continued to survey the area. It was a large cemetery and there was an interesting make-up of the tombstones. Some parts reminded her of New Orleans a couple of centuries ago as well as the tales that used to circulate the bayous. She rubbed a stone and replied, "As I said before, there are the what-ifs that plague a person."

Castiel followed behind Angela and watched her. "Such thoughts are counterproductive."

Angela gave a slight smile as she looked around. "I know you said that you aren't a hammer Cas but you still are a soldier and occasionally revert to that mindless drone state." She looked at the angel to show that she wasn't trying to be spiteful about her comments. "It is very hard to get past events that sometimes you can't help but think you could have controlled better."

"You're thinking about today."

Angela gave a slight nod and a sort of smile. "Of course I am. I was born on this day Cas. I've had good people I knew die on this day. Of course there are the religious stipulations of this day and the two previous days regarding the dead."

"Yes… your thoughts about being of the living dead."

"Glad to see that someone else besides Sam listens to me," Angela replied as she continued to walk through the cemetery. She failed to notice that she and the angel were being watched from behind a large crypt like tombstone. "So are you here to check up on me?"

"Yes. It was not hard to discover that Uriel had been to see you."

"That is true." Angela paused to look at a shrine that had been erected. She smiled at the spaces for the offerings that would be placed there that night. "He's still upset."

"He threatened you."

Even though Castiel's tone was gravelly, Angela could pick up the hint of anger. She paused at her survey to look at the angel. She could see that he was angry at that and it was rather surprising. She had seen quite a bit from Castiel in terms of expressing emotions but anger that someone threatened her… that was a new one. It was like when Sam and Dean told her that she was family. She frowned slightly cocked her head to the side.

Castiel noted the confusion on her face. It was understandable to him. It was troubling and disturbing to feel anger towards his brother but he had not liked it when he had cornered Uriel's underling and demanded details. It was probably another mark against him but Angela… when he thought about her and when his grace tingled… He understood where Sam was coming from. It was different for him but he understood. "You are my charge. I will not have my brothers threaten you."

Angela looked at the angel. She was used this coming from Sam but it was different coming from Castiel. Gabriel was more expressive in his feelings towards her and she had seen him nearly smite a few things for hurting her. It was strange and she liked it. She was about to say something when something hit the tree nearby.

It was reflex for Angela to drop and look around. She managed to catch a glimpse of something moving fast. It was crouched low to the ground so it was hard to determine if it was human or nonhuman. She got her answer when one popped out in front of her wearing a mask in the shape of a skull and dressed in rags. It swung at her with its limbs and delivered a hard blow to the chest.

Angela countered with by dropping into a defensive stance. She was fast but she had never seen anyone move that fast. She could count maybe five of them but because they popped out, struck, then disappeared, it was hard to determine how many. She did many to see Castiel trying to hold off a couple that kept jumping him and it surprised her. She had seen angels fight before and some didn't hesitate to lay it on thick like demons would. She didn't have much time to think about it since she heard a slight whizzing through the air. She moved quickly and saw what it was hit a nearby tree and for a brief moment she had a feeling of déjà vu from a long time ago.

Turning she saw another take aim at Castiel and she shouted, "Watch it Cas! They're poisonous!"

It was a momentary pause since she was distracted by another coming at her. She grabbed a dead branch from the tree and took a swing. It hit the thing right in the face and the skeleton mask shattered revealing a human face underneath. It shrieked in anger and punched at her before leaping to hide behind a tombstone.

Angela went to follow but found nothing there. She muttered, "Damn they just don't quit, do they?" It was rhetorical but it was more along the lines of feeling better about the whole thing.

Two more came out and one gave her a hard backhand across the face. It wasn't enough to bruise but enough to annoy her. She knew that her eyes were probably flickering at the moment as she rounded on the nearest spider monkey, her name for them. She blocked with her forearms and spun away to avoid the dart that came at her. Completing her spinning maneuver, she channeled her telekinetic ability. Like a wave, it pushed the two coming at her away and she watched them fly back with their legs flaying. She turned in time and thrust her hands in a palm thrust maneuver to send a third flying.

It was sudden when she was grabbed from behind and whirled around. It took Angela a split second to realize that it was Castiel that grabbed her. It was tight and firm but also gentle in the sense that he had taken into account her human frame and didn't try to squeeze her out like a tube of toothpaste. She did feel like when she deliberately dangled her arms down when she did her hanging from the ceiling act.

There was some shrieking and Angela noticed that whatever Castiel did put them at a distance. She stood up and the angel let her go so she was able to face him. He asked, "Are you injured?"

"I'm fine Cas," Angela replied as she looked around. She could hear them out there but they were keeping their distance for now. She looked back and then noticed something. "Cas, you got stuck."

The angel looked at her as she reached around and pulled the poison dart from near the back of his neck. She had been careful to not touch the poisoned end and tossed it aside. Castiel said, "I'm fine. We need to leave now." He gripped her arm firmly and gently and was about to use his angel mojo to zap her out when he gave a slight teetering motion and tried to steady himself.

That didn't fly with Angela. She had noticed that the angel looked like a human when they got feverish and it brought to mind what happened to Sam from before. It also struck her as strange since she knew that angels could shrug off things like gunshots and stab wounds like it was nothing. This was different and her angel was suffering. It made itself evident when he stumbled and his knees buckled.

Angela rushed to steady the angel and lowered him to the ground, thankful that there were dead leaves and brush around. "Easy Cas." She looked around to see those spider monkeys circling. _Great. Predators after their prey._

Castiel couldn't understand why he was feeling the way he was. "This… shouldn't be… possible."

Angela knew she had to work fast. She didn't have an antidote since she didn't know what it was. So she was going to have to do something that she knew she could do but hadn't really done before technically. She glanced at the advancing horde and then at the sweaty looking angel. "Well Cas, you're body's human and I'm curious myself but now's not the time."

"Just… go."

"Stop being martyr," Angela replied as she loosened the tie and collar. She looked up as she did it and would let the spider monkeys know with her eyes to stay back. Once she had the collar free she looked were the little bloody blot was and gave a nod.

It was like when she pulled the demon out. She didn't even notice her hand producing that weird glow. She was focused on the poison as she was visualizing it in her mind. It was like what she had called Jade and treated this the same way but just a bit different. She muttered, "This might hurt Cas. I'm sorry."

It was like a white fire as she chased the poison and set it on fire. She didn't stop until she was sure that it was burnt away. Castiel was still on the ground and he had been pretty good at the pain thing. Angela had looked up from her work at the circle of things that were hovering and not sure of what to do until a sound made them scamper away. Angela stood up prepared to fight when she saw an old man approach. _Definitely not telling Dean._

Angela didn't say anything but stood guard over Castiel as he was trying to get back up. The old man said, "You seek the dead."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like the plot thickens some more. Angie can heal Cas? WTF? Stay tuned for next time on Day of the Dead...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The house reminded her of the makeshift huts she had seen in Somalia and other places that were low on food. They didn't look like much but the ones that she had been in were actually pretty warm and cozy. Angela could make out the different pieces of wood and bits of odds and ends and took in the scent of herbs. _I always attract the weird ones._

Castiel had been made to recline on a set of pillows or… whatever they were and she knew he would obey for the moment though she was sure that he was fine. Well he was fine since she did the work herself. It surprised her that she was able to do it but she knew she could. It was like instinct and it didn't help that her angel was in trouble. She looked at him and found it sort of funny that his reclining was so stiff. She made a motion to indicate he was to sit up and he complied readily. She had guessed right in that he was uncomfortable.

The old man was shuffling around his place, bringing food or drink. Angela knew better than to question or refuse. She took the proffered plate full of things she hadn't eaten in years, and that was when she was finding lost people in a jungle. She gave a slight shake of her head when she noticed that Castiel was going to refuse. She knew the angel didn't eat but she didn't want him to be rude either. She took a sample of the fare and stuck it in her mouth like she would anything else.

It was pretty good and it was the right thing to do since the old man gave a sort of toothy smile at her. Since she had sampled the fare, she could ask her questions. She looked at the old man and asked, "Can you tell me anything about this place, the history of it?"

"What is there to tell that you don't already know?"

Angela gave a slight smile. No wonder Sam and Dean got annoyed when she answered their questions with a question. She replied, "Okay. Who were those people? The ones that attacked?"

"This place," the old man looked around before reverting his eyes back to Angela, "this place is made by those that are dead. The dead keep it; they protect it."

"They were very much alive," Castiel countered.

"The living dead… Something you know very well," the old man replied as he pointed at Angela. He then continued, "This place had a darkness over it. They came and took it and they brought the darkness. She will not sleep until it is returned."

It was starting to sound like a horror film but Angela knew that if you were patient enough, you could get all the information you needed. She was certain that it was a spirit but that didn't explain the spider monkeys and the fact that they regarded her with a wary glance. She thought about what she was going to say and asked, "There is a spirit not at rest?"

The old man nodded, "She is restless. They took it and they mock her. They forget but she never forgot."

Angela glanced at Castiel who was listening intently. He probably was trying to do a mind reading thing or whatever it was that he could do. From the expression on his face, he was probably confused about a few things. To Angela it was nothing new. She had met her fair share of crazy old hermits and had spent time trying to decipher their ramblings. She was no expert but she had treaded the path before and she never discounted what they knew.

It was obvious that someone removed something from a grave and that was probably the reason for the spirit going crazy with the banana peeling. She gave a slight shake of her head. Most people didn't realize that if you didn't treat remains with respect, it could trigger the vengeful spirit thing and all that hoopla. Looking at the old man, she asked, "Why do they mock her?"

"Warns them she does. Tells them not to forget who they are. Many forget."

There was a direction. Angela was familiar with that kind of thing. "She visits them?"

"Reminds them all." The old man shuffled a bit in his seat as he studied Angela. It looked like he knew something that she didn't about herself, which sounded a bit funny or ridiculous. "It is why she called you here."

Angela raised her brow at that. As far as she knew, she had no visions, no calls, no nothing to indicate that someone or something was trying to draw her here. She rubbed the wrist with the bracelet out of comfort since she wasn't picking up anything that could be harmful. She glanced at Castiel to see if it was another one of his tests that he had been made to give her. She had forgiven him about the academy. She sort of figured that out herself and didn't blame the angel in the least.

Looking in at the old man, she put the plate of food in her lap and held her hands up in a prayer like gesture and countered, "No one called me here. We just drove in. We just happened to stumble upon this case."

The old man began to chuckle a bit. "No, no, La Bella. She has been calling for years to find the one who would bring it back. She calls for one who seeks the answer to death; it weighs as a heavy burden. It was she who called you."

"I think you may be misunderstanding me. I don't seek the answer to death. I may regret death I've caused but I don't seek it."

"A heavy burden," the old man repeated. "It was she who called to you and you came. One who has the power of the light in a world of darkness."

Angela made a slight motion with her eyes. There was one more who believed in crazy things. It sounded more like a ghost story to her even though she lived in a world where the ghost stories were real. She pinched the bridge of her nose to think for a moment. "Why would she call me?"

"She knows you seek to right wrongs. You seek the answer to death and wear it like a heavy cloak."

Angela stopped trying to take it literal and tried on the metaphorical level. That she could deal with but even then she wasn't sure. It was disturbing that the old man guessed that she was trying to right wrongs even in the pursuit of preventing the Cage from being sprung. True she still had guilt in that there were things she probably could have prevented and a few she could name off the bat.

"You have the power of the light."

Angela couldn't help but mutter, "Don't I know it. Creatures like me don't typically have healer abilities."

"A wielder of the white fire she called. One who knows dark and light to bring it back to her," the old man said, oblivious to what she had muttered.

Angela nodded while in thought. She looked at the old man and asked, "Who is it that called and brought me here? What was taken?" There was no use in trying to contradict what his beliefs were. He was old and more likely he was going to be stubborn about them.

"La Calavera Catrina."

Angela frowned a bit. She knew the name but that was even stranger than Sam's reaction to learning that Jason was the Jason of the Argonauts. Besides, there was that one legend that was nothing but fairy tales and hokum. Many wasted their lives trying to find it and many died trying while they followed the clues; it was like searching for El Dorado. She was still musing when the old man got up and began to drag her and Castiel out to show her.

They arrived at a mausoleum that looked like it had been. It was in the old part of the cemetery and blended in with the other tombstones and crypts. Angela looked over it and saw the family name and pursed her lips.

"I don't understand. There was nothing to draw you here," Castiel muttered.

"Don't worry about it Cas," she replied. She then noticed the altar in the mausoleum. She walked up towards it and looked at the indentation left in the wall. She rubbed her fingers on the stone and turned to look for the old man. She asked, "Was the thing that was here smooth, from a river or something like this?"

"Yes."

"With the three lines to denote the three levels…" Angela motioned with her fingers across the back of her hand. Each question seemed to bring her one step closer into a world that was really going into the insane.

"Yes."

"And the symbol of life and death?"

"She knows you know."

Angela rubbed her chin. She looked at Castiel and then at the ground. There was no way that legend that had claimed the lives of so many men was true. It was supposed to be pure myth. The only thing that was real in terms of existence were the stories, oral stories. "I'm familiar with what was here. Why would anyone take it?"

"He who holds it will have prosperity and power over her and make her do his bidding."

Angela could guess that they were going to have a heck of a time. Controlled spirits were vicious and if you didn't know what you were doing, then you were in for something like being a hellhound chew toy. This was… She walked away a bit and continued to rub her chin in thought. She was still trying to argue the logic of all this and was failing miserably.

Castiel looked on and then at Angela who was deep in thought. She knew something. He asked, "Do you know what it is Angela?"

Angela paused in her musings. She looked at the altar and then Castiel. She replied, "I do. Someone has the calavera stone and Catrina is starting a rampage."

* * *

"Nice place the doc has," Dean commented.

Sam gave a slight shrug. It was a nice place considering the doctor was staying with a family. Roberta Silva, he read, was a researcher observing religious adaptations of indigenous people. According to the police report, she was the only witness to what happened. The police were keeping her as a person of interest but there was nothing to indicate that she had done anything. As it were, this was the guest house. "Good for research," Sam allowed.

Dean gave a look at his brother as he knocked on the door. He put on his best charming smile when Roberta Silva came and opened the door. "Hi, I'm Agent Skynyrd and this is my partner Agent Hendrix…"

"You guys are FBI?" Robbie interrupted. She had a raised brow.

Dean was a little put off by the abruptness. In fact he didn't expect it from someone who saw up close and personal the dead guys. He recovered though and replied, "Yeah we are."

Robbie made a slight hum and opened the door. "Never thought I'd see the day when rock stars from the seventies and whatnot decide to become federal agents. Then again you guys aren't, are you?"

"We're agents," Dean insisted.

Sam realized that it wasn't going to fly with this one. He tried to smooth the situation over, "My name is Sam and this is Dean. We just want to know what it is that you saw last night. We promise we won't judge."

That won Robbie over a bit as she let them in. She knew they weren't cops. They didn't carry themselves as such. Plus it helped that she actually dated one at one point. They all had a certain way of carrying themselves and these two just didn't fit the bill. The shorter one she once would have jumped on if he had hit on her in a bar. The taller one seemed like he was embarrassed for bothering her but was also anxious to get the information that he needed to do what he needed to do. A stranger pair but if she had to venture a guess, she would have pegged them for brothers. "Polite but not firm. Definitely not cops. Come in."

Sam and Dean were shown into a small one room hut like place. There was a cot, a fireplace and boxes to prop odds and ends. In short it looked like the woman was going camping. At least there was something to sit on if the occasion called for it. Robbie motioned towards the cleaner of the boxes and headed towards an ice chest, "Beer?"

Dean was about to say yes but was given a hard elbow by Sam. He made a face when Sam threw one at him. _Leave it to Francis to keep his mind on the job_, Dean thought to himself as he replied, "Uh water is just fine."

Robbie eyed her two guests. She pulled out three beers, and handed then out. "Quit pretending. Besides you don't want to drink the water unless you want stomach problems."

Dean was glad to take the beer and watched as Sam held his tentatively. He didn't relish the idea of stomach problems but he was a bit unnerved that she knew he and his brother weren't cops. He was also wary since he recalled that whole thing with the African dream root. He held it as Robbie took a drink and sat down and asked, "So uh, since you know we aren't cops… how were you able to tell?"

"I used to date a cop. Fed actually," Robbie replied as she took a drink. "They have a certain kind of walk. You didn't fit the bill."

Dean made a surprised face. "Wow."

Sam was also impressed but then again she was a researcher. They were trained to observe and record. "Okay, so why did you let us in?"

Robbie studied the two boys with a wary eye. She knew they weren't cops and hell they could have been a pair of serial killers that just strolled into town. For all she knew, they could be the guys that killed Juarez and the other guy. She must be off her rocker but then again the police said she was crazy when she told them who she thought was that killed them. She had been stuck in her hovel going over her research notes and everything else to try and make sense of it.

Yet there was something about them. Her gut was telling her that they knew that something was up with what happened. She wasn't sure about the trust completely but she was willing to go on a little bit of faith. She gave a slight shrug and replied, "I'm not sure. I mean you guys could be the ones that did it but I'm not picking up on that." She took a sip and stared at them, waiting for the questions that were supposed to follow.

It was rather uncomfortable being stared at like that. However it didn't occur to either of the boys that Angela did the same thing at times. Sam was the first to clear his throat. Taking a chance, he took a sip of his beer and asked, "Uh about what you saw last night… do you know what you saw?"

Robbie gave a bland expression in Sam's direction. "If I tell you, are you going to insult me and call me crazy?"

"Doc, we deal in crazy," Dean said before Sam could say anything. It wasn't the most eloquent but he could get the point across. He got the impression that Robbie Silva wasn't one to have things sugar coated. "Look, whatever you tell us, we won't say that you're crazy. We deal with the strange crap that goes on."

"Not the sharpest tool in terms of vocabulary but straight to the point," Robbie asserted. She gave a slight smile. "I rather like that. Makes me wish I was back in my classroom with smartass students."

Sam felt his lips twitch. People rarely told Dean about his lack of tact but he knew that when it was serious his brother meant every word. Dean was in a cross of whether to be offended or pleased about the comment. He gave a slight chuckle, "Well it's the truth. Tell us what you know and we might be able to help."

Robbie took a sip of her beer and took one last observant look at the pair of them. Finally deciding, she put her beer down on a box that served as a table and leaned forward. "Alright, just to let you two know, I only saw a glimpse of it but it was very clear."

Sam gave a reassuring face and replied, "Tell us."

Robbie sighed a bit and looked down at the dirt floor. Looking up she looked at both of them and said, "It was La Calavera Catrina."

Dean blinked a bit. He was unsure how to word it and ended up saying the first thing that came out of his mouth, "Is that a spirit or some kind of monster?" It was rather awkward and he ignored the look that Sam shot at him.

Robbie raised her brow. Apparently they were true to their word though she was beginning to think that they were the ones that were crazy. At least they weren't laughing at her. Maybe they knew what they were talking about. She replied, "I don't know."

"But you saw this caulifla Catrina?"

"La Calavera Catrina," Robbie corrected.

"Okay, why do you think it was… her?" Dean thought it was bad enough when Sam and Angela corrected him. Then again the geeks always tried to correct him. At least they were probably onto something. He had hesitated on what to call the fugly but since he knew the name was a girl's name, he thought it was appropriate.

"La Calavera Catrina is one of the most recognizable figures of one of the single most important holidays in this region. Sort of like how Santa Claus is the face of Christmas." Robbie was too much in the habit of giving a lecture for the classroom. She had a way of leaving things hanging just the right way so that it forced the questions to come.

It didn't fail when Sam and Dean looked at each other to silently talk. It was Sam that asked, "What holiday?"

"Dia de los Muertos," Robbie replied. She then translated it in English, "Day of the Dead."

Dean looked at Robbie thinking that it Fate conspiring against him. They just had to deal with something related to the ghosts and demons on Halloween. Now there was an actual day of the dead? What the hell? Out loud he asked, "Day of the Dead?"

It was like being back in school again with a bunch of fresh newbies for her to torture. Robbie would have enjoyed ripping someone like Dean to shreds in terms of beliefs. She toned it down and explained, "Yes it is a holiday, most exclusively to Mesoamerica which runs from Mexico to as far south as the Honduras. It is specifically a day dedicated to honoring the dead. Families spend the entire year saving up to spend on the items specific to the event."

"Okay. Aside from the spending on party favors, no offense," Dean countered after shooting Sam a look, "What does this Catrina chick have to do with anything?"

"La Calavera Catrina is a recognizable figure."

"Right Santa Claus and Christmas, but what is it specifically?"

Robbie gave a wry grin and stood up from her seat. She walked over to where her stack of books was. She pulled out a book that she knew had the answer. She thumbed through the pages to the one that she was looking for. She flipped the book open to show them and explained, "Catrina is actually a political statement created around the beginning of the twentieth century."

Sam took in the image and recognized immediately the sight that he had seen at the morgue. There were striking similarities but there were some differences that didn't quite fit. Yet the doctor was sure about what she saw. "Look Dr. Silva…"

"You can call me Robbie or Dr. Robbie. Use my last name and I think that you are addressing my mother," Robbie interrupted.

"Okay," Sam replied momentarily taken aback, "Robbie, how can you be so certain that it is La Calavera Catrina? The bodies at the morgue were dressed in dresses dating approximately to the beginning of the twentieth century."

"Emo nerd," Dean whispered to tease his brother. He couldn't help it. He found it amusing that his little brother went through Angela's books and learned a bit about women's fashions. It was fodder to tease Sam about his girly habits.

Sam ignored the jibe from Dean. His brother was still amused by the fact that he paid attention to women's fashion only because Angela was explaining it to him. At least his brother wasn't privy to the thoughts he had of Angela in some of the styles; he had been embarrassed the first time he imagined it. He turned his focus to the line of questions but couldn't help but take a sip of the beer that was still in his hand.

Robbie pretended to not hear the comment. She guessed that they were brothers and it looked like Dean was the one that liked to tease Sam about his tastes and habits. She also sensed that there was a deeper story behind Sam's knowledge of fashion and figured it was a girl. She got the conversation back on track and replied, "What you're describing actually came later under the influence of Diego Rivera. 1930s was a time when pretty much all the best artists were Communist bastards but on the idealistic side." Robbie tapped the picture she was showing them and continued, "The first version was originally the torso and skull and the hat."

"But why show up as the later version?" Dean asked the question in a fit of being nice to his brother. Sam probably had 'impure' thoughts of their girl and was embarrassed about it. It just made this all the more sweeter.

Robbie continued, "The later version was more recognizable. From that image you see the little skeleton dioramas. The skeleton, especially the skull or calaca is especially important and has its origins in the Mesoamerican tribes related to human sacrifice which was more about life than death."

Dean thought he was in school again with the lecture. At least they had something about it but there were still questions that had to be answered. "Now I know I'm going to regret this but does this day of the dead thing relate to it being more about life?"

"Actually yes. It is a time of remembering but of what people did in life."

"She's got a point Dean. While there are rituals for the dead and ways of honoring them, some focus on the life aspect rather than the death end of death," Sam added.

"Okay fine." This was certainly strange. Dean then asked, "So you saw this Catrina chick. Are there any local legends that relate to her appearance?"

"None that come to mind."

It was later when Sam and Dean got into the car that Dean said, "Well that was helpful. We have a political statement running around and killing people."

"I admit it's strange too," Sam replied. He had been a bit edgy about Dean talking to him again but just this conversation was like old times. "Look, let's get back to the motel and look some more into it and wait for Angie."

"You sure you don't want to start a manhunt for her?"

It was an urge to but Sam replied, "No. She can take care of herself and I think she needs some thinking time."

Dean looked at his brother. He didn't quite buy it but he was willing to let it lie for now. He turned on the engine and guided the Impala back to the motel.

* * *

**A/N:** Starting to look like a 1930s serial now but things are picking up. Stay tuned for more Day of the Dead...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"You find anything else about our skeleton ghost?"

Sam barely glanced over at the laptop and looked at his phone. He had been checking it every few minutes to see if there was a text or something. He couldn't help but be worried that Angela hadn't called or even dropped in. He had sworn to himself that he wasn't her keeper but he remembered last year and while she had her head in the game once it became apparent that there was a case… He just wanted to make sure that she was okay.

Seeing that Dean was waiting, Sam gave his findings, "Just what Doc Robbie told us. La Calavera Catrina was developed as a political statement to make fun of natives who fully embraced conversion and forget their roots. The original design was the hat and upper body. The dress came later."

Dean plunked Sam's request for a salad on the table and took out the burrito he bought. At least Sam wasn't eating it since that was asking for it. For a brief second he wondered how Angela was able to tolerate it since she had the super sniffer. He turned his focus onto what Sam told him and nearly scowled but it was ruined by the jumbo bite he took of the burrito. "Great so we have something that is basically somebody's art project."

Sam looked up and tried not to make a face at Dean's open mouth full of chewed food. It was a surprise that he was even able to understand anything Dean said when his mouth was full of food. He opened the container and said, "Dean, I asked for a salad."

Dean looked over at Sam's lunch and said, "That is a salad."

Sam threw a bitch face that also told Dean that he was being a stupid idiot. "This is not a salad."

"Quit your whining Samantha. It's a taco salad." Dean looked pleased with himself as he took in Sam's look. "Come on. You said to bring you a salad. You didn't say which one."

"You know what I meant Dean," Sam replied. He looked at what Dean brought him. There was lettuce and tomato but knowing Dean, he probably requested the extra hot sauce. He might as well man it up since he was hungry. He played around with it a little and discovered the beans. His brother had a cruel sense of humor. He hadn't forgotten what Dean said even though he had been under the influence of the ghost virus. It came out funny but it was rather mean considering half the time it was Dean who picked where they ate.

"Hey, it was either that or a burrito and you know what happens with one of those," Dean replied. He gave a slight grin at that.

Sam scowled as he picked up the plastic fork. "Eat me." He speared a bit of the salad and looked at it before putting it in his mouth. His earlier thoughts entered as he went in for another bite. He didn't want to bring it up since Dean seemed more along the lines of respecting her privacy or like he was keeping a secret that he was being kept out of. He decided to go for the risk. "Dean… Has… has Angie said anything about...?"

Dean looked over at Sam knowing full well what his brother was getting at. "You mean the date? I think she knows what day it is."

"That's not what I mean," Sam replied. He started toying with his salad. "I mean has she started doing what she did before?"

"Not really." He gave a slight shake of his head to indicate he didn't see anything. "Why? She say anything?"

Sam quickly looked down and replied, "No."

Dean studied his brother. Something was eating Sam and it was about Angela. Dean had to admit that it was like he had never left as far as they were concerned but he wasn't blind. He saw enough to guess that things were not going so well. Actually that didn't sound right. Sam and Angela got along but it was like there was something between them that had yet to be resolved and it wasn't the thing with the ribbons. From the look of things, it was like she was resisting again and she was using this business with the seals to do it… or at least hide behind it.

Dean was about to say something when a gentle knock sounded at the door. Holding the thoughts he wanted to convey, he went to open the door to find Angela standing there still wearing that fedora and looking a little worse for the wear. There was dirt on her jacket and jeans but other than that, she looked fine. There was nothing for Sam to get into a funk over. He said, "Have fun hiking?"

Angela gave a grin and stepped in. "Walk in the park. So did you find anything?"

Dean watched as she walked in after shaking the dust from her boots and made a beeline to the bag on the table and pulled out one of the tacos. She had taken a bite by the time it registered that she had taken his food. "Hey that's mine."

Angela finished the rather unladylike bite and swallowed. "Thank you," she replied and took another bite. She then talked with her mouth full, "So, do you have anything?"

Sam was actually surprised at her manners. Even when she was starving, she made every effort to hang on ceremony. It looked funny but she really couldn't pig out; she didn't mind others but she hated herself for doing that. Seeing her sort of break her rules… it now made him wonder if something was really going on. He stopped toying with his salad and asked, "Angie, are you okay?"

Angela had finished the taco and dug in on the other one in the back. She replied, "Doing good."

"You sure, because you're chowing down on my tacos like there's no tomorrow," Dean replied, more amused that she was actually utilizing poor table manners. Usually she said something about his but it seemed like she wasn't going to make an issue of it.

Angela cleared her teeth with her tongue and replied, "I had bugs for lunch. Good for protein but not very filling." She picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. "Couldn't insult the old guy though and it's been a while since I had local cuisine."

"Bugs?"

Angela looked at Dean and nodded, "Yeah, they're delicious particularly the fried chili peppered grasshoppers." She studied Dean's face and noticed that he was looking a little green in the face. She glanced at Sam who was looking at her like she may have grown a second head but it was mingled with slight amusement. She continued, "C—Could we please compare notes?" She shot a frown between them.

Sam was the first to recover from the awkwardness and he reported, "Well we talked to the witness and she said that she saw La Calavera Catrina, a piece of artwork developed in the early twentieth century."

"And was done to make fun of people. That's it. There's no one who died by that name," Dean added as he got past the fact that his favorite girl had eaten bugs and actually liked it. "So I really am at a loss as to what we are dealing with; whether this is a spirit or something."

_Well this is probably going to put you for a spin_, Angela thought making a slight face. How was she going to explain something like this? She did argue with herself though that she had brought much stranger things into their world that was already full of things that would get you a strait jacket or a punch in the face, or sometimes both. This really was no different; just a bit stranger. She could do this and it could be fun. It would put to the back of her mind the situation with Uriel since his warning was clear. She replied, "Well it is a spirit but…not in the traditional sense."

Dean couldn't help but reply, "Nothing is ever traditional with you around isn't Angie?"

"When did you figure that out?" Angela grinned looking at Dean. "And you're still hanging around me."

"It's my charm isn't it?" Dean gave one of his charming smiles.

"Yes and your rapier wit has me all warm and gooey inside," she replied as she narrowed her eyes playfully. "I just can't seem to find the reason to pick up and leave."

Sam watched the exchange. It wasn't like before but the flirting was… It was like it had been taken up a notch. If it was serious… Then he caught her looking at him and then she winked. It was as he thought; it was a flirting game but nothing serious. She was only responding in kind or taking it up a notch in terms of the content.

Dean was grinning. He knew that his girl was good at speaking dirty and he figured that she learned how to blend in with the dirty talk. However given that it was the first time regarding her feelings for Sam, she probably had never been laid. It was only a suspicion and he was going to persist in an attempt to find out which was why he stepped up with the flirting and presented it as a challenge. He replied in kind, "Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather be in more civilized company?"

"Let's see," Angela replied and made to think for a moment. "I am constantly surrounded by bad table manners, a none too clean system regarding two day old socks and clearly musical and dining torture… nope, I'm not leaving." She smiled to reassure her assessment. "So about La Calavera Catrina…"

"You were saying that it was a spirit but not a spirit," Dean countered.

Angela continued to give a smile and pulled something out of her jacket pocket. She fingered it in her hands a moment before rolling it out gently. She set it on the table. "This is a piece of an old manuscript. It could be considered lucky that it was even drawn on something durable."

Dean leaned over, "What is it?" He gave a tentative touch to it,

"Gentle," Angela warned. "It's over hundreds of years old. La Calavera Catrina is actually a legend of sorts. She is only known as a political statement because Posadas, the artist. The legend is rather… interesting."

Sam looked at it. He had seen Indian markings and or forms of Native American artwork and most were done after the Spaniards came and taught them to read and write. This though looked older than that and if it was, it was a rare find indeed. "Where did you get it?"

"From the spider monkeys that attacked me," Angela replied. When they gave her a look, she explained, "They are the protectors of the cemetery. They don't attack the locals. They are self-appointed guardians of that cemetery since the older part is part of a burial ground. It was a good find archaeologically and there were still traditions of burying treasures with the dead. Protection from grave robbers."

"They thought you were a grave robber?" Dean looked at her with an expression that he thought these guys were stupid for thinking that. He knew that Angela had great respect for the dead and would think twice before defiling a grave.

"So that's why you looked like you were rolling around in the dirt?" Sam asked the question, looking at her.

"Yes, and I'm fine. They… backed off when the old man who fed me the bugs came by. He's the one that they trust in terms of judgment." Angela wasn't sure how much to tell them but from the looks of things, it was more likely Sam that was going to ask her questions.

Dean brought the conversation on track, "All right so you got something from a guy that rescued you like Obi-Wan. Then those guys that jumped you gave you this. I'm guessing that this is something that goes with those other things you introduce us to."

"Yep," Angela replied, "But it's actually something I thought was only a myth. Well most everyone thinks it's a myth." She made a slight face as if to indicate she was still confused.

"Are these hieroglyphs?" Sam pointed out. He had been studying the manuscript piece, trying hard not to touch it or do anything that could damage it. He saw the image that was unmistakably what he and Dean had seen earlier but it was slightly different. The woman was like the skeleton but dressed differently.

Angela leaned over and replied, "Yes. Nahuatl to be exact. It's part of the story of the woman known as Catrina who most are willing to believe that is actually Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead."

"Lady of the Dead?"

"She's the Mesoamerican goddess of the dead who is said to keep watch over the bones of the dead. Her appearance is a de-fleshed body." Angela paused to look at the boys. Both had their full attention on her and she was vaguely uncomfortable with the stares.

"So we are dealing with a god? And it's killing people?" Dean looked at Angela trying to make sense of it.

"It ties into the legend about the calavera stone. Catrina supposedly was a devout priestess whose Nahuatl name is forgotten. She was a loyal servant of Mictecacihuatl and was called forth to be a more or less permanent defender of the dead. In simple terms, most scholars of this sort of thing think that the priestess was the vessel for the goddess to take physical form." Angela studied the scrap. She could read the symbols clearly since she had a head for languages.

Sam had been looking at the scrap. He pointed at the woman, "That's Catrina then and that's the goddess?" The name was clearly beyond his pronunciation.

"Yes."

"What is she handing to the priestess?"

Angela knew that the next part was going to sound ridiculous and she could hear the comments from Dean. "A rock. Catrina was told to go forth and protect the dead and to do it, the goddess gave her the calavera stone, a rock with magical properties."

Dean thought that he had seen and heard it all but then again traveling with his favorite girl, he had seen things that most hunters he knew would say was sheer nonsense. Magic rocks were something out of the movies and a look at Angela showed that she was thinking the same thing too. "A magic rock? Come on Angie. Seriously? That sounds like something out of those serial films you like."

"Don't diss my guilty pleasure, Dr. Sexy," Angela replied. "I am being serious about this though. The calavera stone supposedly can make the dead ground prosperous and the dark side of it is that it can be used to control Catrina… god or no god."

"So someone is controlling Catrina?" In Sam's mind it was better to refer to the thing as Catrina and a spirit.

"Yep. Catrina is to keep watch over the bones of the dead and general the assumption is that means from grave robbers and desecrators but these guys got the treatment of it… that's something else." Angela paused as she looked at the manuscript. It was missing a piece and she knew that it wouldn't be in any known codex.

"Well that's just perfect," Dean replied in a slightly sarcastic tone. He knew better than anyone that if you tried to leash a ghost… or a reaper… you better be prepared for the consequences. Often times it came to bite you in the ass literally. "So I am assuming that that usual won't work."

"Not really," Angela replied, "The calavera stone was taken from its resting place, according to legend, by a conquistador or something. More likely it was the conquistador since those guys were blinded by greed. Anyway it was said to have disappeared long ago until it was brought to a sacred site by a Nahuatl servant where it was given proper respect and the land prospered."

Sam thought about it a moment. It did make sense since he noticed a few things around here. He brought it up, "You're thinking that this town was that place that it was stashed."

Angela gave a wry grin like she hit jackpot. "My thoughts once I got past the fact that the spider monkeys were descendants of the Nahuatl servant and his people and they protect it. What better place to hide the calavera stone than to build the cemetery around it? She is keeper of the dead."

"Well if it was placed here than someone must've stolen it cause I've seen quite a few dead things and it ain't because it's fall or a desert," Dean pointed out. "You said this thing gave the land prosperity. I'm guessing that by removing it, it took the blessing I guess away."

"That's a possibility," Sam replied. He studied Angela as she studied the manuscript. That she could read it was a forgone conclusion since she was able to point out the pictographs and hieroglyphs. She seemed to have forgotten or rather pushed aside what happened with Uriel and turned her focus onto the case. That did seem better in his view but he could tell that certain things were on her mind. "I've noticed that some things that should have been alive are dead or are dying."

Dean paced around. This was some strange stuff but it wasn't like he didn't deal in that. Part of him had hoped that it would be just a plain old salt and burn even though the ghost liked it violent. Then again he was ready for something, anything, that wasn't related to the angels and demons crap that they recently tangled with. "Okay, so any bright ideas about how to find this thing?"

"That's the thing. It would be legwork to find who has it and get the stone and return it back to the resting place." Angela looked up from her reading since she had come to the end that was too faded to see and to make conjectures would be futile. "The legends say that the stone is in the shape of a skull since skulls were thought to represent life and death."

"Wouldn't it be death since the skull is from a dead person?"

"Not really Dean," Angela replied giving a slight shake of her head in the negative. "The native peoples of this region don't view life and death in the same manner as we would traditionally see it. Most people see death as the end but they viewed it as the next stage in life. Everything revolved in a cyclical nature for them. Of course that idea was seen as blasphemy by the… missionaries and they tried to stamp it out. You see it in the way how the Spaniards toppled their temple pyramids and built churches right on top. Like everything else pagan, traditions were modified into the Christian calendars and you get Dia de los Muertos."

"Day of the Dead, right?" Dean pointed out. He then explained, "Doc Silva explained that day to us when we asked her about what she saw."

"So she saw it?"

"Described it down to the detail of a later version of La califa…"

"La Calavera Catrina," Sam corrected, knowing that Dean knew a few Spanish words but new ones he tended to butcher and he sounded very American saying it. He knew he wasn't that much better with it but it was a start.

"The later version that was introduced by Diego Rivera circa 1930s but he was best known for his murals that portrayed his ideas on Communism."

"Thanks for the history lesson," Dean dead panned.

"Art history and it was important since Rivera was for the common people. His frescoes were considered stories. You can see his art in San Francisco, there was New York I think. Of course the blue house in Mexico is the best place since it was where he and his wife Frida lived. Interesting artist herself." Angela was aware that she was rambling like an academic but she had been fascinated by the artists of the 1930s considering that their art was loved and respected but their politics were detestable. She stopped herself and said, "Sorry. Anyway we need to know where it is and stop whoever is doing this."

Sam looked at Dean for a moment and noticed him thinking about something. He ventured, "How do you propose we do it?"

Angela shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know the victims since she didn't see them. Besides she couldn't answer everything. She looked at them until Dean said, "We can start with our stiffs. Someone wanted them dead for a reason and if this Catrina character is being controlled then it is somebody with a score to settle."

"Good point," Angela replied. "You have anything on them?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. He pulled the laptop forward trying to make sure that he didn't damage the scrap of cloth. "Both victims were investors in this new resort that they are trying to build here. One of them Jorge Juarez was the most vocal about bringing the resort here. The other victim Hernan Cortez, no relation to the historic guy by the way, was the one who pitched the land to the developer."

This sounded familiar to Angela. She had seen it before with small dying towns and she had seen how the water rights were manipulated. It happened before in Milagro. Things worked out since then but not every case was a happy ending. "They were native to the town right?"

"Yeah. Both were affluent members of the town… pretty well off and could be considered rich," Sam confirmed.

"Well that would explain the look of the victims. Poetic justice," Angela muttered. The thing that got her was the here and now. She wanted to know why the killings now since a town like this would have been prospected before.

Dean made a slight face at her gruesome outlook of the victims. He knew that she wasn't being callous or uncaring. She knew that it was wrong and she would do what she could to stop it. "I would think that you would have a little more sympathy."

"Wayward thoughts," Angela replied. She had been musing in her thoughts and then turned to Sam and asked, "When did they start breaking ground?"

"Just a couple of days ago."

"Timing is perfect and could have been easily mistaken to be a spirit," Angela replied. There was one last piece that she needed to be sure of. "You have a map or roughly the boundaries?"

Sam brought up the map. Angela leaned in to take a look. Seeing it she gave a slight nod. "Now I see what's going on." She looked at Sam and asked, "May I?"

Sam was surprised she even asked and stuttered his affirmative. He watched as she reached over his shoulders and tried to bring up the Internet email. The service was lousy and had cut off right then. She wasn't frustrated since she pulled out of her pocket what looked like a wifi card and plugged it in. Sam watched her type an email that he couldn't read and she hit send.

Angela then wrote down the boundaries that Sam had shown her. She then said, "An email should be coming from the princess. Make sure you open it. I gotta check this out." She then bounded out the door in an excited fervor.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Angie's on the trail of something. Looks like they might be dealing with a ghost god? Weird but they've seen weirder. Stay tuned for more on Day of the Dead...

**A/N2:** Mictecacihuatl is a real Mesoamerican goddess. She is considered to be the keeper of the bones of the dead and around late August in the original calendar round the festivals to the honoring of the dead revolved around her. She is portrayed as a de-fleshed being.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sam had to jog just to keep up with the energetic dhampir that looked like she was ready to run a marathon. After asking her questions, she bounded out of the room like she couldn't get away fast enough. He had to admit that it was a complete turnaround from the somber feeling of yesterday and while a good thing, it could be a bad thing in terms of being reckless. So he followed after getting a go ahead motion from Dean.

By the time Sam was out the door, she was already heading towards the road. The only thing to identify her was that fedora she picked up and hadn't let go. He did manage to catch up and found that she was walking and playing with her computer pad at the same time. It was a wonder she didn't crash into anything.

As soon as he came up alongside her, she glanced at him and said, "Did you run a marathon to get here?"

She was teasing him of course and he saw it in her grin. "With you setting the pace?" It was a relief that she slowed down so he didn't have to jog with her. It was kind of a hit to the ego since she complemented his height. "What has you so excited that you feel you have to pull a roadrunner act to wherever we're going?"

"Just dotting the t's and crossing the i's," Angela replied as she checked her watch and then up the road. She looked around and fished out the cheap map she had fished of the nightstand in the room. She looked around trying to find something.

Sam didn't bother to correct her. More likely she was teasing him again and trying to tempt him into a round of their banter. The other possibility was that she was too much into her work to realize she mixed up her phrases again. His mouth twitched in an attempt to smile but held it back. It was one of her more endearing qualities. He followed her until she started up a trail. "Where are we going?"

Angela found the rise that overlooked the town. The motel was on the outskirts so the trail to the rise that would give her the view of the land. She stood there overlooking the scene and looked at the land. It made sense now and she was going to see it. She stopped long enough to catch a breath and she said, "You said that the development was on the western part of the town limits. That's there." She pointed in the direction she wanted. "To the east is the newer developments, new buildings etc. and right smack in the middle…"

Sam stood by her and watched as she pointed out the landmarks. "The cemetery but that doesn't explain why the whole Catrina thing."

On a side note, the view was beautiful. Even though there was nothing but desert scrub brush, it was very picturesque. Sam studied it as he looked at Angela. Even though Dean would have been making comments about her guilty pleasure, he thought the scene was rather…

"Catrina is keeper of the dead for simplicity sake. Whoever took the calavera stone was pissed about the development," Angela replied as she fished out her computer pad. She tapped the screen and slid it across.

"But still the resort is not even touching the cemetery."

"Actually it is," Angela replied. She flipped her computer to show Sam what she had found.

The screen showed what looked like overlays of at least two maps. Sam was amazed at how fast she was when she was looking for something. Then again she was an academic but hid it well behind the athlete or whatever. He could make out the layout of the town as it was and then what had been there before and then… "Is that?"

"If the development is allowed to continue, they will be digging up part of an old burial site. Normally by law if any human remains are found, construction is halted immediately and they call in the experts and then there is the whole thing about determining if it is fifty years or less and considered a crime or archaeological." Angela looked at the pad and didn't flinch as Sam leaned in closer to take a better look. "But there is also a thing about developing on known native land and that's new. That's why it's too bad for the Orange Show in California."

Sam looked at Angela for a moment with a slight frown, "Cursed land?"

"Actually it is said that the Orange Show was built on an Indian burial ground and since then every year during the Orange Show it rains. They changed the date and it still rained. Nice huh?" Angela made a motion and brought up another window. "My guess is that there are people who know that the older part of the cemetery is part of the old native burial grounds. The developer as well as our two vics knew probably that they were digging on burial grounds and maybe doctored a few things so there would be no delays. Not the first time big shots think that money can buy your way out. So more likely we are looking for someone who would do anything to protect the land."

"So we start with the most vocal?"

Angela moved a few more windows aside. She pulled up another that showed a protest movement, "Thank God that things have progressed since the eighties."

"The eighties weren't so bad," Sam offered. He was rewarded by one of her softer smiles.

Angela smiled and said, "I know. At least from '83 to the present." She pulled up what she wanted. "Isidro Perez is the leader of the resistance to the development movement. Most of his work is petition stuff. Nothing that strikes me as the kind to go sociopath on people but it is personal. He would be the best bet to start with."

Sam studied her pad while listening. He liked that she was being animated after her brooding self even if it was being anxious to get to working the case. Seeing her look so down was not something that he liked and he knew she was like any other person with the mood swings but with her it was different. He replied, "Okay so what do we do if and when we find the guy?"

"I don't know. I'm making this up as I go," Angela replied as she pulled her pad up and powered it down. She put it in her bag that Sam hadn't noticed before when she took off. "Lopez's place is down there so…" She was peering over the rise.

Sam noticed the strange look in her face and her observation of the rise. He understood exactly what she was going to do. "Um what are you doing?"

"Getting down," came the reply.

Angela jumped and landed where she had noticed the dirt 'path' that had probably been made by rain water and started down it. It wasn't too steep but it was the quickest way down. She called up, "You coming?"

Sam gave a slight huff but not in annoyance. He should have known. She did make a promise and he needed to relax. She was never one to take a promise lightly. He looked around before looking down and half jumped, half dropped to the surface that she had landed on. She was standing there staring at him, waiting. She looked like she was going on a safari or something and definitely could see his brother making a comment about it.

"See? Nothing to it."

Sam gave a slight smile and replied, "For you maybe. You're the flexible one."

"So I'm a pushover?" Angela gave a teasing bump with her elbow. It felt good to be on the case. Even though it was one that could be classed with the Silver Streak and the Morton House, it was like a warm blanket. Regular cases that didn't have to do with the fate of the world were a relief but of course that left things open to think about the personal.

Even though she knew what day it was and she usually felt the slump. It didn't hurt as much. Still she blamed herself. She still felt like she owed it to Dean for what happened to him and not trying enough even though he showed that it wasn't her fault and even hinted as much to her. She did have one consolation aside from the fact that she was riding with her boys again. Right now she was working the case with Sam.

When she had been with the Old Man, while she obsessed on whether or not Sam was okay, she would replay her memories in her head. She treasured those times especially when they had nothing better to do while Dean was having fun time. There was much that she wanted to say but she couldn't and for reasons that felt complicated. Walking there with Sam though, she felt content with what they had at the moment and if it was threatened, she would fight for it.

Sam took the bump in good measure and replied, "You? A pushover? Bossy is more like it." He grinned and tried to anticipate what she would do next.

"Bossy eh? I guess it is necessary for two pigheaded men, one who argues over the value of cleanliness and the other who likes to pretend he's fine when he's got a concussion."

"Yes Mom," Sam teased. For his reward he got a rather gentle smack to his bicep. He made a big thing of it. "Hey, I bruise easy."

Angela raised her brow with a 'yeah right' expression. "In your dreams, Sammy." She picked up her pace and started towards the house that Perez's.

Sam followed suit, aware that she called him by the nickname that Dean had only been allowed to use. She would use it on occasion to goad him into cooperating or tease him and he modified it so that only Dean and she could use it. He realized that she had said it freely and it gave a pleasant buzz. It stayed even though he turned his focus to the case as she knocked on the door and was prepared to ask questions.

* * *

Dean was glad that he pushed Sam out the door. Whatever tension there was it needed to be settled between him and their girl. He knew Angela was showing her feelings in the small ways but he noticed it was reserved a bit. At least they could talk and probably since she was more alive now that she had bone to run with on this case, the words would come readily. Right now he had to find someone to translate what came via the email he had been told to expect.

The best bet he had was the doc that he and Sam interviewed earlier. It was a big assumption and he wasn't up to doing a search for every single symbol. He might end up making something up if he got the wrong meaning. He knocked on the door and was relieved that Robbie Silva opened it. "Hey, Doc Robbie."

"Dean." Robbie gave a slight nod. She had been wondering when one, the other or both would be back. "Come in. What can the crazy doc do for you?" Her manner was still devil may care even though she was relieved that there were at least two that believed her.

Dean followed her in holding the scans. For once he was glad that Angela knew how to pack and had a portable printer complete with paper. That saved on some level he guessed. He ignored the fact that he saw a rather large scorpion sunning itself on one of her crates. He was nervous about it. "Uh I was wondering if you know something about a goddess of the dead. Mesoamerican."

"You mean Mictecacihuatl?"

Dean felt some relief that his guess was right. At least she knew something but that was a long way from actually knowing what was written on the pages. "Yeah."

"You're in luck. Mesoamerica was… is my specialty. Part of my research here was to examine pagan beliefs and how they were morphed into the modern religious forms we see today." Robbie gave a slight smile at the scorpion and tentatively picked it up by the tail. "Tlaloc did you need to warm yourself again?" She cooed at it and gently played with the pincers before taking the scorpion to a window.

Dean tried not to freak out to the fact that she was manhandling a scorpion. "Hey… uh… aren't those poisonous?"

"Not the big ones. Small one gets ya, you better not keep it to yourself."

"Oh," Dean replied not quite relieved that it wasn't too bad. He felt embarrassed that he was nervous about something mundane like this when he faced things that could kill people in the most gruesome way.

Robbie noted the look on Dean's face. She liked the look on his face and found it to be rather… She got to business by showing amusement at his embarrassment and asked, "So what do you want to know about the Lady of the Dead?"

"Well um… a friend of ours told us that she is the keeper of the bones of the dead and she is…"

"De-fleshed?" Robbie watched the reaction. "Well you described her right. Her festival used to occur around August and like the Japanese Obon dance, it was designed to honor the dead. The skulls were used as a symbol of life and death since the natives didn't see death as the end but the beginning of the next stage."

Dean cleared his throat. "Well I see you know your stuff doc." He made a slight face as he cleared his throat. This was a good thing. He held the scans and asked, "Um can you read?"

"I think that's a requirement to get to my position," Robbie replied.

"Of course," Dean replied offering a sheepish grin. This was like being caught in one of Angela's mind game things. "What I meant was can you read Nawah?"

Robbie knew what Dean was talking about. His pronunciation on certain things was rather cute and actually funny since he tried. "You mean Nahuatl?"

Dean was glad for a rope to grab onto. "Yes. Can you read it?"

Robbie chuckled a bit. "Yeah I can. I'm about one of twenty or so professors that can fluently read and speak it. I kind of needed to learn it since I spent years in the field. So what do you need?"

Dean started to feel a bit more comfortable around Robbie and held up the scans. "The friend I told you about. She got these…"

"She?"

"Okay, my sister," Dean replied automatically. "She and Sam are the academics. Anyway she got these from a friend and I need to know what it says."

"Why not ask your sister?"

It was difficult to form the words without making it sound like he was making fun of what she saw in the cemetery. Besides if it was an obscure story, there was the possibility that she would think him crazy and tell him that what he had was a hoax. "This is related to what you saw in the cemetery last night and she thinks that this may be the key to…fixing it. She's with Sam chasing a related lead."

Robbie decided to accept that for now. She was aware of slight disappointment that Dean hadn't come by to see her but that was a moot issue now. She reached over for her reading glasses which were next to her Tlaloc and put them on. "Let me see them."

Dean handed then over and watched as she read them. It was hard to read her expression since it was one of those that showed intense concentration. It was comparable to Angela's look. There was a flicker of light when he saw her eyes widen in surprise. He couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing and was prepared for the worst.

Robbie couldn't believe what she was reading. Even though they were scans she could tell that they were from an authentic source. It was nothing like the other codices that were available to researchers. In fact they were lucky to have them at all since the conversions by the Spaniards nearly wiped out anything that would have been appreciated by today's scholars. This was a rare find and it was related to something that was only perceived as a myth. She looked at Dean and asked, "Is this what I think this is?"

Dean wasn't sure if it was a trick question or not. He replied, "Um… it is real. I even have the missing piece." He carefully fished out the scrap that Angela showed him and Sam and put it on the one scan that only had a small triangle.

Robbie couldn't believe her own eyes. She gently took the scrap and the scanned piece and read the symbols. It was authentic and there wasn't even the Roman lettering version of the language on it. It was pure hieroglyph. That was a treasure and she wondered who the lucky benefactor that Dean's sister knew was.

Dean knew that Robbie was stuck in a moment of awe with what she was holding. He hoped to get her on track and cleared his throat. "Um I know that the piece there tells the story of the Lady of the Dead and her faithful follower. Something about telling her to protect the dead and she was given the magic rock."

"The calavera stone," Robbie confirmed. "I thought it was just a story. There are allusions to it in the known codices but the actual story… this is a find. I can't believe it. How did your sister come upon it?"

"That's Angie for you," Dean offered, "She has a knack with people and she is really good with the research. Plus she knows things like me and Sam. It's a family business."

"So La Calavera Catrina is a real being."

"Yeah," Dean replied. He was starting to get a little uncomfortable and he needed information if they were going to put a spirit to rest. "Listen, Doc Robbie, we know about the story but this part Angie said might help."

Robbie finished her moment and picked up the scans. She read them again and went into what was called her teaching mode. "Well operating on that everything here is true, and I am assuming that it is, the calavera stone brings prosperity as long as the land it sits on is respected. The Nahuatl and the other native peoples in Mesoamerica take great offense if no respect is shown for the dead. The stone supposedly contains the essence of the goddess/priestess and that is how it does what it does."

"Any idea what the magic rock does?"

Robbie ignored the urge to correct Dean's simplification of the calavera stone. She could sense the urgency behind the whole thing. "The legends say that when the right spells are uttered in the language of the people the gems, possibly diamonds, glow and whatever the spell is, it will do it. This one looks like it is designed to be used against dark beings." She pointed at a set of glyphs and a picture showing what happens. "No one is sure for certain but this looks like it is part of a larger book and I think I know which one."

Dean followed as she went towards a box of books that looked very well cared for. "Any little bit will help doc. We think that someone stole the stone from its resting place and is controlling the spirit and making it kill people."

"Well that is one of the properties of the stone." Robbie looked through the box and pulled out a very old book. She carefully ran a hand over the cover to make sure there was no dust and it was relatively unharmed. "Since it contains the essence of the goddess, it can be used to bend her to someone's will but like anything that is chained…" She gave a slight movement of her shoulders.

"Yeah we know something about that. Can the thing be stopped if we put the stone back to its resting place?"

"That might be a possibility. The thing is that you would have to do, is find whoever took it," Robbie began looking through her book. It was full of pictures of codices and pieces of obscure works. They were the things that most scholars scoffed at since there was nothing else to support it.

"Well Angie and Sam are working on that. She has a theory and she got really excited over the development thing I guess," Dean offered as he tried taking a peek at what Robbie had.

Robbie was used to inquiring looks from students but she did have a slight problem when it came to people looking over her shoulder trying to be nosy. She shot a look at Dean and then said, "Well the resort that is supposed to be here was advocated hotly by that two that were killed."

"The just broke ground from my understanding and in our line of work something like that usually triggers something like a… restless spirit," Dean replied.

"Well I'll buy that like I am buying the fact that the calavera stone is real even though I haven't seen it," Robbie countered. "I'll admit that I'm not sure if I want to believe in such a thing as ghosts but after what I just saw… I'm willing to go on a little faith." She shuffled a few pages until she found what she was looking for. "Here we go."

Dean followed her as she set the book down so they could both see. He noticed that the scorpion started moving back towards the book. He tried the trick she did and grasped it by the tail and moved to where she had put it before. "Okay so what do you have?"

Robbie read the whole thing. She kind of made a face as she deciphered it and then replied, "Well putting it back will help but then you run the risk of someone taking it again. I'm guessing that is going to be a bad thing on your end."

Dean made a face as he nodded. The best bet was to kill the guy and that was if the spirit or goddess didn't kill him first. "You could say that but usually a pissed off spirit that has been controlled will… take care of the guy. It's not pretty but when a spirit is forced to go against their will, they can get pretty angry."

"Remind me then to never piss off Casper," Robbie replied giving a smile of approval at Dean's handling of the scorpion. "So if you really want to make sure that the Lady isn't misused again, then probably the best way is to free her from the stone. The stone will still be powerful but she would be free from its binding effects. Just a guess."

To Dean that sounded like the best option and he wondered if Angela actually figured that. Sometimes she was a bit enigmatic with her knowledge and some came as a surprise. "Well that seems like our best option. Is there a way to do it in that book of yours?"

Robbie turned a couple of pages. "Mind you this is bits and pieces from really distant sources. Most scholars would consider this in the realm of fairy tales and hokum."

"We've dealt with less, believe me," Dean countered.

Robbie pointed it out. "This is what can unbind the goddess but it looks like there are some very specific things that have to be done in order for it to work." She paused a moment and read some more. She was quiet for a moment as she read and her telltale twitch of her nose said that she had something but it wasn't good. She let out, "Uh oh."

Dean knew from experience that kind of sound didn't mean that whatever it was had to be good. It would be bad and messy and probably something that would pose a great risk to life and limb of more likely Angie and that would be the bitch face and Mother Sam again. "What do you mean uh oh?"

"Well… let's just say that the spirit is its most potent after sunset. Once the night hits because of the day…"

That was enough for Dean. "Give me what I need doc and I'll take it from here."

"No way. I'm coming too."

* * *

**A/N:** Things are starting to move forward and they have a plan. Dean gets into a awkward talk with Robbie and Sam and Angie are chasing down a thief. Stay tuned for more on Day of the Dead...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Angela peered around the corner. It wasn't like this was going to be a walk in the park. Even she knew better. At least they were somewhat prepared. True that she didn't have her usual chakram and Absolution but that would have drawn attention. A knife was better and she had a gun tucked under her jacket. She was hoping not to use it but the guy she and Sam were chasing; he just wasn't making it easy for anyone and she was half tempted to call Castiel to knock him out.

It certainly changed the odds when the guy decided to start shooting at them. Angela would have run into the business end of a bullet if Sam hadn't been quick. He had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him as he took cover behind a building. He had wrapped his arms around her and covered her body with his.

To Angela it was one of those rare moments where she could take a moment and absorb the fact that Sam was touching her. Of course it was one of the times where he was just pulling her out of trouble because she blindly walked into it. She had done that quite a bit the last few months. Besides Sam had touched her before so she shouldn't get too excited about it.

"You okay?" Sam's voice came low in her ear.

She could feel his heaving breaths that signified he had been running. His hands still held her by her waist as he released her head. She replied, "I'm fine." She turned to look around the corner. She could see the guy running. He just wanted to buy some time to put some distance between them. Well he was making a big mistake.

Sam peered at her. There was some dust and wood in her hair from the building they took cover behind. He gently brushed it off while still holding onto her as she leaned around the corner and took a peek. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Sam. Really," Angela replied. She couldn't see his face but she felt his grip on her waist. She realized that she might have scared him since she rounded the corner without checking and she could have gotten riddled with bullets. She relented and added, "Sorry about that."

Sam was relieved that she was okay. If he hadn't been so quick and grabbed her, she would have had a bullet to the chest. He knew she wasn't careless and he could allow for an occasional slip but he knew that her word meant a lot on her end. He knew she was careful and they were on a chase but that didn't dispel the fact that he had been scared for her and he had seen her do worse. He was glad that she was okay so it came out of left field when she apologized. It had him frown and he replied, "It's okay Angie. I'm just glad that you're not hurt."

Angela had turned to look at Sam and replied, "And if you were?"

"You would kick my ass… Like always," Sam replied looking at her. He then said, "Still want to go after him?"

Angela looked over and around the corner. "He has the stone. We got to get it back and to the cemetery before sunset." She reluctantly took a step back and pulled out her favorite Beretta. As an afterthought she handed it over to Sam and checked to make sure that her knife was still there.

"You aim to kill him?"

"If I can't avoid it," Angela replied as she looked. She could still see the guy. "He may be a killer but…" She made a slight movement with her head. She glanced back at Sam before taking off and resuming the chase.

Sam let her go and watched her before following. She hadn't finished her sentence but he had the feeling that it was her general compassion coming through. It was in her nature to show compassion or mercy and she had done it before, even to her enemies. It was one of her more endearing qualities. What he saw though was like a war within herself.

They had gone to see Isidro Lopez and found that he was very… interesting. That was putting it polite in Sam's view. The guy thought that they were cops and started sputtering about rights and the like and calling them fascists or something. Sam wanted to deck the guy but he resisted since Angela seemed amused by the accusations and she had good reason. She had been called worse and Sam suspected she was amused a being assumed to be a cop.

In the end Angela managed to convince the guy that they weren't cops and she didn't even have to use her mojo. She had been very clever with her words and managed to get a word in while the guy was rambling and mentioned something about sacred land. That shut him up and he let her talk and that was after he offered them a drink of water.

It was Angela that talked about the cemetery and she got Lopez to spill on his philosophy. Sam realized that Angela had been right in that the guy was more of a pacifist activist. She managed to talk the guy and found out that there were some problems within his organization. She even managed to get a name and an address. They were then sent on their way with the hope that they would find the guy and get him to stop his madness. The dead were sacred but to kill… it was dirty. That was how Lopez described it.

Now they were chasing one Jose Peña. They had gone to his place pretending to be reporters, interested in the protests regarding the development. Sam had asked the questions and Angela had looked around. She was good at being a distraction while she was looking around. She would pick up something and inquire about it and did a number on the guy especially if it was fragile.

It took some quick maneuvering on her word usage to bring up the subject of the cemetery. She had made it seem like she was being inquisitive. It didn't hold up since the guy got suspicious and tried to brandish a weapon on them. Sam actually was amused at how scared the guy got when Angela just wrenched the weapon out of his hand and got close in that sort of creepy inquisitive way of hers. It was a thing she had picked up in her time away.

While they were chasing Peña, Sam's cell went off. He kept an eye on Angela since she could move fast when on the trail, "Yeah Dean."

_Any good reason why she's not answering?_

Sam resisted rolling his eyes though it was easy to do, "Not important at the moment. We found our guy but he's on the run."

_You sure?_

"Oh yeah."

_Did you actually see it?_

_ That's not important right now._

_ Oh so your question is more important? Self-serving…_

Sam realized that someone was with his brother and from the sound of things, it was Robbie Silva. What the hell was she doing with Dean? Nipping the conversation or argument in the bud, he spoke loudly over the breaths he was taking, "Alright, stop. What do you need? Make it quick. You know how fast she can run."

_Must be fast since you're heaving._

"Dean."

_Alright… hey!_

_ Listen, Sam. It's all well and good that you get it back but that's not going to stop her._

Sam listened while amused that Dean just had his phone taken from him by a girl no less. It was something Angela would do. He could sense the urgency of course and made with the serious, "What do you mean by that?"

_The scans sent tell me that the stone binds the goddess to it through her priestess… more or less. Even if you put it back, there is no guarantee that she'll stop._

"Okay then how do we stop her?"

_Setting her free._

Sam paused a moment at that. His experience with gods was an interesting mixture of good bad and ugly and Dean could say the same thing. Of course Dean had never been possessed by a god nor talked to one in his head. They both had been captured and had blood drawn and fingernails pulled by Solistice gods. He was in two minds of that simple statement. "Is that a good thing?"

_Mictecacihuatl is the keeper of the bones of the dead. While she can be fierce in a fight, she more about preserving the dead… not making more of the dead. Besides if she had manifested in the body of her loyal priestess as the stories go, she would be…_

_ She's a pissed off spirit Sam. You know how that works._

_ I was just going to say that._

_ At the rate you're going you would be sounding like Sasquatch…_

Sam had to put a stop to this. "Okay I get it. So is there a way to do this?"

_Yes. It's a spell and requires certain ingredients. The doc and I are our way to grab them. Sam you gotta get it back to the cemetery. Something about being on sacred land and bones of the dead thing._

"Alright well it looks like we're heading in that direction," Sam replied. He frowned since he lost sight of Angela. He noticed that they had made it past the decrepit buildings and were actually near the cemetery. He could make out the decorations people had laid out but didn't pay them any attention. His focus was on finding Angela.

_We'll be there._

_ Wait. Sam, keep an eye on the time. It'll be much more difficult once sunset. It is the Day of the Dead._

_Tell me about it_, Sam replied. That whole thing with Samhain was still fresh but even fresher was his concerns about Angela and how she dealt with Uriel. He was also well aware of the whole thing about the veil being the thinnest around this time and that it was prime time for spirits and demons. "Worse than the usual with spirits?"

_It's a goddess._

Sam heard Robbie Silva's voice edged in seriousness. No doubt Angela had thought of the same thing when she went on her chase. That was why she had left so fast but she adjusted to accommodate his pace. "Yeah we know about those." He looked up at the sky and noticed the light was fast fading. "Looks like it's going to be a rough ride."

_Just be careful Sam._

Sam replied, "You know me."

Before he could say anything else, he felt something hit him on the back of the head. It hit right on the dot so that he went down. He saw black before he hit the dirt and he didn't even hear his brother calling his name over the phone. The phone had landed near his head and Dean's voice came over the speaker.

_Sam? Sammy?_

A hand reached down and hit the end button on the phone effectively ending the call. The owner looked down at the unconscious Sam Winchester and gave a slight smile. This was going to be a night to remember.

* * *

Dean knew that he had been cut off. That sent his big brother instincts on full alert. Something was wrong. His gut was telling him that it wasn't just Sam but Angela. If Sam was in trouble, she would be there to get him out. Dean always knew that and she fought like a wildcat for Sam. No something was going on. He cursed, "Sonofabitch."

Robbie sat in the passenger seat of the Impala and continued to glance out at the darkening sky. The sun was sinking fast and that meant that they were going to have to deal with one pissed of ghost, according to Dean. One her lap was the book that she had brought along and she held it steady in both hands. She looked at Dean, "What's wrong?"

"Sam's in trouble."

Robbie raised her brow at that. This region was notorious for crappy cell reception in certain areas. It could be that Sam wandered into one of those areas. It was a possibility but somehow she got feeling that Dean wouldn't buy it. Still she had to ask, "How do you know?"

"I just know."

"You know it could be cell reception. It is crappy out here in some places."

Dean shot a look at Robbie that said he didn't buy it for a second. He kept his eyes on the road however as he drove his baby out to where they needed to get the last of the ingredients. As much as he wanted to race there, the cemetery was in the opposite direction and they were almost there anyway. "It's not cell reception."

"Okay. Just trying to help."

"Yeah well stop. I know my brother and I know Angie. If she's down and can't help Sam, then it's something to worry about."

"Okay."

Dean drove in silence and even broke his own speeding records to get to the place they needed to go. He was aware that he had been rather rude to Robbie but he was more worried about Sam and Angela. Sam he always worried about since he was his little brother and trouble always seemed to follow him like a magnet. Angela was the same way but for him the worry was different. The worry was the fact that if something happened to her, it was going to affect Sam even if the kid didn't know it yet. Dean had seen enough and he had seen the look on Sam's face when she was stabbed by that demon bitch Lenya. He was also aware how he felt. For him it would be like losing Sam and it scared him that he would even contemplate selling his soul again for her.

"I get it that Sam is your brother; your responsibility."

Dean glanced at Robbie who was getting out of the car. She was giving a look of understanding out of all the possible reactions she could have. Dean had been expecting something of an attitude or anger and it would have been justified. Instead he was getting a look that said she understood where he was coming from. "Look I'm sorry…"

"That's the thing with pain in the ass little siblings. The danger radar never stops even after a few years," Robbie interrupted. She paused a bit and then said, "Go to Sam now. I'll catch up."

"But sunset?"

"We won't make it in time. We'll just have to take it as it comes. Don't worry I'll be there. Just go help your brother." With that Robbie shut the door of the Impala and started towards the area she knew where the last few ingredients were. She would make it in time. Besides she knew the area and she had a few helping hands that would give her help if she asked for it.

Dean watched as she took off. She had given him the opportunity to go and get to Sam but they also had a job. It was like a war waging inside of him.

_Dean, remember rule number one?_

Of course he would remember it. That was his rule and hers. Obeying the rule that he had adhered to for years, Dean turned the Impala around and headed towards the cemetery. The problem was he wasn't even sure if they were there. The psycho guy could have them locked in a building and then be dealing with some other poor sap.

"They are together."

Dean narrowly managed to avoid driving the Impala into a ditch as he tried to regain his composure from the sudden appearance of not one, but two angels. He couldn't help but mutter a curse he once heard Angela mutter and became annoyed at the chuckle from the backseat. He said, "Damn it Cas. Don't do that."

Castiel kept his eyes on the road. "I apologize, Dean, but I understand that this is important."

"This ain't about a seal now is it? Because I'm not in the mood for one and neither is Angie," Dean countered as he made an adjustment to avoid a dip in the dirt road. "And you back there don't laugh."

"I'm marveling," the angel said. "Marveling at the fact that you don't remember me."

"I don't even think I met you sister. Right now I don't have time to deal with a seal. Sam and Angie are in trouble and I aim to help them," Dean countered.

"That is why we are here Dean," Castiel replied.

Castiel had been keeping tabs on his charge. He knew that she had been paid a visit and threatened by Uriel and had been spending more time making sure that the angel specialist didn't try anything. He remained invisible and had closed off his presence to her since her tattoo would allow her to sense him nearby or at least his intentions… if he was in pain and the same was said in the reverse.

After being poisoned, he had gone to answer a summons from the garrison, which was handled quickly. He wasn't at full strength yet even though Angela had purged the poison from his system. So he sought the help of one other angel he knew he could trust. He had found her just as he sensed that his charge was in trouble and they took off to try and help but there was a snag. That was why they looked for Dean.

Castiel looked at Dean and added, "We are here to help you free the goddess."

Dean spared a glance at Castiel and then the angel in the backseat. It irked that she seemed to be enjoying herself much like Angela would when he was driving. In his mind, the backseat was her place. It was kind of silly since they switched places when a new driver took over and they slept in the backseat and Dean did have some good entertainment time when he watched Sam slump over and lean on her when he was sleeping. The stranger though… "Why do you want to help?"

"The goddess is of the dead. She has been bound since the days of the conquistadors. There is bound to be some… unpleasantness."

The angel in the back gave a slight huff of annoyance and leaned forward and said, "What Cas is trying to say is that she's pissed that someone is misusing her power. She can't do anything about it and more than likely she'll get a little bit crazy. Something like the ultimate PMSing I believe the term is and it won't be pretty."

"I get that," Dean said. "There has to be something more though if you two showed up. Are you sure this isn't a seal?"

It was perfectly within his province to ask. Castiel knew that Dean wanted to know and didn't blame him since it was only a couple of days after the breaking of the Samhain seal. He knew though that Dean would do his duty if it was a seal but as it were, it wasn't. This was a personal thing and the angel was not sure if he should even admit it. He replied, "It is not a seal Dean. The Malachi is in trouble and we are here to help."

Dean knew that was gross simplification of the reason. He had caught a glimpse of the angel's feelings for his girl. He had seen the way they had interacted and he wasn't blind. It seemed that Angela made friends easily even with the enemies. Some were creepy obsessive about it and others looked on in admiration. At least he could tell the difference. Sam just saw it as everybody trying to violate her. "So you're here to protect your precious weapon."

That was a crude description of it and Dean knew it. He knew that Angela could be a weapon considering that she had mojo that he had never heard of any dhampir or vampire certainly having and he did do some reading on the side. There were fine lines that defined the world. He finally understood what she meant by the fact that healers weren't killers.

Castiel knew that Dean wasn't being rude to be cruel. He knew the elder Winchester's attitude regarding about using people and then discarding them. He replied, "She is not a weapon, Dean."

"Dean, we're not here on orders," the angel in the backseat added. "We want to help. There are things that this goddess can do to protect the dead and she will use them. She will use them if she is forced to use them."

"Seraph is correct," Castiel replied, finally introducing the angel in the backseat. "This goddess is powerful in her own right. She can do things that… are horrible to describe. Some conquistadors made the unfortunate mistake of violating a temple near a burial site."

Dean got the picture on that. He got the feeling that the peeled stiff that dropped into their laps as a case was only a fraction of what could be done. He had seen and done things that couldn't compare, or maybe they could. He wasn't sure and he once came close to telling Angela about it since he made the mistake to get drunk around her. "I take it that's not a good thing."

Seraph gave a slight nod, "Let's just say that she almost destroyed a pantheon of gods at one of the family reunions. It was one of the reasons why her brother Quetzalcoatl asked that she step down from the council of the higher powers."

"Council…? You mean the gods that Angie appealed to for me?"

"One and the same," Seraph nodded. "I know her well. She does have a volatile nature and only because she thoroughly believes that the dead should be respected."

"I'm guessing skull racks are part of that respect," Dean replied.

"Representing life and death… yes," Seraph replied. She adjusted her position in the car. She was not familiar with riding in a metal vehicle since she was an angel and perfectly capable of getting to a place using her angel mojo. However as Castiel pointed out, they needed to be under the radar as possible since they really weren't under orders and her post was to guard the council.

"Okay. So we have to get there, get Sam and Angie out of trouble and try to keep a very pissed off goddess from trying to wreak havoc and destruction. This is going to be easy," Dean replied with a hint of sarcasm. After all when was anything easy for the Winchesters?

"It will be difficult but…"

"Sarcasm Cas," Seraph interrupted. For once she was glad that their father had given her free will and the ability to sense sarcasm. She then turned to Dean, "Since it is the night of the dead, the ritual must be in the cemetery. There should be a tomb that is dedicated to the goddess under the guise of that picture that the people associate this day with."

"I don't think I want to know how you know that," Dean replied. "Then again you said you knew this goddess on the council so…" He drove on putting speed into the Impala. The sooner they got to Sam and Angela the better considering that some pretty bad mojo was going to happen.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Sam and Angie are in trouble and Dean is to the rescue with a little heavenly help. Stay tuned...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sam woke up feeling a slight pounding on his head. It was always the same when he got a good clout to the head and he had taken more hits than could be counted. Slight movements told him that he was in a familiar position and that he wasn't alone. Every time he tugged, he felt resistance and at one point he heard a slight sound that was distinctly a moan and it made him pause. The pause gave him the time to look around and see where he was at.

It wasn't brain surgery to figure out that they were still in the cemetery. The reason he thought the word 'still' was due to the fact that Angela had pointed out to him the boundaries of the original burial grounds. That was the reason for their trip up the hill. She had to see for herself and get a better understanding of the place. The stray thought that she would have made a pretty good cop entered his muddled brain and quickly banished as he blinked and squinted to get a better look around.

From the look of things, they were in the middle of one of the mausoleum tombs. Inwardly he groaned since it reminded him of that fight with Samhain. He remembered the 'fight' vividly and he was sure she did too though she claimed to have sort of got tunnel vision… whatever the hell that meant. To Sam he felt that she was being like Dean again and ignoring it in the hopes that it would just go away. It didn't, at least from Sam's point of view. There was one thing that he hadn't been able to verbalize from that experience.

The flashing light thing didn't work on him and neither did it on her. He remembered that as much when Dean had been made into dog chow. The distinct difference though was that time he had sensed anger, extreme anger that was more like hatred. He hadn't paid attention to it at the time but the memory came back when she resisted that trick a second time. The second time was not like the first but it was different from before.

Ruby once said that he had a ticking time bomb inside of him. He saw that with Angela. She had it under control when she resisted. He had seen the extremes when she vamped out; the teeth and the eyes he got. It went further this time like when she saved his ass from Vera. It was like a distinct shadow across her face and her eyes had changed color. Come to think of it, whenever she did that eye flicker thing, they were that color of fiery amber and her eyes had darkened slightly.

Seeing her pull Jade the demon out and actually killing her, it was rather scary. She admitted that it scared her too and since then she tried to minimize it. In fact it was like she went out of her way to make sure that they weren't watching when she went with the heavy duty mojo. Only when it was necessary did she pull out the big guns. That was what she did when she pulled, or rather helped him pull, Samhain out and send him to hell.

"Finally you're awake."

Sam looked up to see Peña standing next to a small altar like table. The guy was roughly in his thirties and he was well built and extremely fast. The more Sam studied him, he noticed that there was a bit of crazed look to the guy's face and it didn't help that the guy had a mess of dark curly hair and dark eyes that were as about as lively as the eyes of snake; they were cold and black but they flickered. He stared at Peña and replied, "I would have been awake earlier if you hadn't hit me."

Peña laughed a bit as he finished what he was doing. "Then how would I be able to finish it all and truly show that they shouldn't go to places that have remained sacred?"

Sam narrowed his eyes at Peña. He made a slight movement and felt a slight weight on his back. He tried to twist to see but he couldn't. He moved his hands and his fingers brushed against another set of hands. They brushed the fingers and they curled around his and he knew who they belonged to.

"You know I didn't always look like this."

Sam looked at Peña. He was concerned that there wasn't much more response to his fellow prisoner. Instead he focused on his captor since he couldn't do anything else. He ventured, "You're older than you look."

"That's one way of putting it." Peña put the finishing touches on the altar before pulling the calavera stone out of the bag.

Sam took a good look and saw that the stone was shaped like a skull. It was very smooth in its appearance; it was like it had been stuck in a river for centuries. He could see markings that looked like deep but smooth. It was sandy colored like dirt or something.

"The lady is said to be the keeper of the bones of the dead. She protects it with her very being. Of course it was made easier by Catrina." Peña looked at the skull and appraised it with an appreciative eye. "We showed her respect and in return she blessed us for remembering those that brought us. It is the way of things. We cannot exist without those before us but many have forgotten that. They have become too materialistic."

"So you use the goddess to kill people. Yeah like that is honoring your goddess." Sam narrowed his eyes in sarcasm.

"What do you know? You weren't born of our people."

Sam twisted his wrists. He tried to find the ends of the rope that tied the wrists of his fellow prisoner. If he got the hands free, there might be a chance of getting out and kicking this guy's ass. Slipping ropes he could do and this time he wasn't as badly hurt in terms of being knocked about the head. He was worried though about the person tied behind him. He had to keep the guy talking and maybe buy time for Dean to actually find him. "Maybe not but to do that… it's really douchey."

"Sellouts is what they are. They are into iPods and internet. They forget where they come from; they disgrace us." Peña looked at Sam and walked to stand in front of him and get a good look. "I'm only trying to do right by my people. For centuries I've kept the stone and this land prospered and then Juarez and his lackeys… They wanted to sell the land and turn it into a resort that they couldn't afford to get into if they tried."

Sam could understand wanting to do right by people that meant something. He could admit that he was trying to do right by his brother and Angela but he wasn't about to kill innocent people. His abilities he had been using were to help people. He liked the fact that he could save people from possession. She understood that… at least he thought so. He replied, "That doesn't mean you kill people for it."

"It was my duty. My duty to protect the lady and one she chose."

"You stole what wasn't yours," Sam countered. He was only reciting the theory and parts of the story that he had learned about this magic rock.

"It was stolen by thieves like you. There were more but they were destroyed by the foreign white devils in their greed." Peña shot a glare at Sam. It was futile to argue with someone who didn't understand. "Now only one is left and one more is needed to free her wrath upon those that have forgotten. I am the most loyal of the people."

Amidst the babble that Sam was listening to, he was able to figure out that this guy was very old and if he had to venture a guess, he was one of the Nahuatl people. Roughly he was about as old as Angela give or take a decade if he was Aztecan. If that was the case then it was possible that the calavera stone had given him an unnatural lifespan for a human. "You plan on using sacrifice to get what you want?"

"The lady will be honored the way she should be. The work of the foreign devils will be undone and the old ways will return. Of course she needs a body."

That didn't sound good. Sam knew from experience that when someone said something needed a body, which meant that there would be possession involved. He had been possessed before, once by Meg the demon and once by a god, which he had to admit wasn't too bad. The god healed his injuries while possessing him and he didn't have to so Sam was grateful for that. Possession in general though was never a good thing.

He was to find out who Peña had in mind to use when the guy came over and untied the other prisoner. Once the body came into view, Sam did what he could not to get too crazy. He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice when he said, "Leave her alone."

Peña looked at Sam and then at the unconscious form of Angela and then back at Sam. He gave a grin as if he had figured out something that would be the best thing he discovered. "She is perfect. She has the rare beauty that is the envy of the gods and she has courted death." At Sam's look, he grinned and said, "Yes, I know full well what she is. It isn't every day that the legendary quetzal princess is made known in the flesh."

Sam didn't bother to correct the guy about Angela. It wouldn't have mattered in the first place. Second, it occurred to Sam that there was more than one name in reference to what he had heard her being called as. Besides, the main problem was that this guy knew who she was… at least in terms of importance to mainly the angels. It was sheer bravado as he replied, "Then you must know that she can't be possessed unless she gives permission."

"You are right in regards to the dark ones. Gods are different and who is she to complain if she is dead?"

Sam pulled against his ties and tried to break free. "Let her go."

"She can't do much and did you ever wonder why?" Peña looked on in amusement at Sam struggling. The whole thing had him thinking about teasing him more in recreating a certain story or two that he remembered but he just decided to stick to the current plan. He kneeled in front of Sam and studied him. "You've seen this technique before haven't you? Maybe you were a victim of it at one point?"

It dawned on Sam what he was getting at. He never held it against her that she did that to him. He had told her that and he somewhat understood why she did it. It never occurred to him that there were others who might know the same things she did. He wasn't going to grace the guy with an answer to that question. Instead he replied, "You made a big mistake."

"You have but not of the more potent variety," Peña replied as he studied Sam. He chuckled at that as he went back to dragging Angela's body to a slightly raised stone slab that had shackles on it. Next to it were bones and it made a complete skeleton. He gave a slight smile as he prepared the body, "It may have been centuries since I last encountered one but I remember the spells of my people. Unlike the others, I never forget."

Sam gritted his teeth in anger. He started twisting his hands to start slipping the ropes. He felt the rope burn but that was nothing. He was not going to let her die. He wasn't going to lose her to this crazy guy's schemes. "You don't touch her."

"The funny thing is that I already did. What are you going to do about it?"

_I can think of plenty and it is worse than what you've done._ It was surprising that Sam was even contemplating something that violent but that wasn't even in his thoughts. He was seeing red as he would if it were Dean but this was destructive. He twisted his hands and managed to get the knots with his fingers. This guy was going to get it. His fingers managed to undo the first of the knots and he couldn't help but make a slight grin.

Peña chuckled a bit as he looked down at the unconscious woman. He moved her mostly to torment Sam but he also wanted to see if she had what he knew would be there. He moved the jacket and the shirt from her shoulder to reveal the tattoo. He slowly reached and fingered the tattoo and looked at the sigils. He was also drawn to the beauty of his chosen sacrifice. He turned her back over and started running a finger down her face.

Suddenly a loud sound vibrated through the catacomb. Sam was momentarily distracted from the sight he was witnessing and turned towards it. Peña looked up too and listened there was the distinct sound of a voice and it said, "Sonofabitch." Peña cocked his head to the right at the peculiar turn of phrase.

Sam heard his brother's voice. He tried listening to see where it was coming from. "Dean."

Peña grinned a bit as he turned towards the altar. He picked up a jar and poured some dust into his hand. He then picked up the stone and tossed the dust at the wall. He said something in Nahuatl and a sound vibrated throughout the tomb. The goddess appeared in a ghostly form and Peña said in Nahuatl, "Kill them and wake your servants my lady."

Sam blinked at the sight he just saw. He knew that Robbie Silva wasn't crazy describing what she saw. It was just rather creepy to see something that belonged in a scary movie appear. She was dressed in clothing which was a good thing but it didn't help that her face was a skeleton. He watched as she moved past him and went after his brother.

* * *

Dean had been in plenty of cemeteries but he had no idea what to look for. There were a bunch of old fashioned tombstones and new ones and a bunch of displays with skulls, candles and food. He figured it had to do with what Robbie mentioned about the day of the dead. People he just didn't get and Angela was an enigma with this.

"We are looking for the resting place of the servant of the goddess," Castiel said as he trudged forward. His trench coat billowed out behind him as he strode forward.

"Easy Cas," Seraph replied. She stopped him as she looked around. She had spotted the guardians and they were watching them. She got the feeling that they had seen Castiel before but that didn't mean that they couldn't be careful. "We are being watched."

"They will not harm us."

Dean looked around and spotted something wearing a skull mask. It was actually creepy looking and it was watching them. He held his Taurus ready and asked, "You sure about that Cas?"

"We've met before."

"That doesn't mean that they won't give a repeat performance," Seraph countered. She was concerned that Castiel's concern for the Malachi was blinding him a bit to the fact that he had a fragile human with him and was just as susceptible to danger. "Their job is to protect the tomb and the fact that we are seeing them means that we are getting close."

"That's just perfect," Dean muttered since there was nothing better to do with that piece of information. He looked around just looking and spotted something. He started towards it and rubbed the dirt away. "Hey I think I found something."

Before either of the angels could reach him, he was tackled by something that pummeled him to the ground and was gone. "What the hell?" He grunted as he stood up. It was then that he saw something barrel towards him. He was on his feet to defend against the kicking feet but that thing was too fast. "What the hell are these things Cas?"

Seraph was the first to reach Dean and help him out. She had managed to pull out her weapon she used to defend against enemies if they invaded the council. It wasn't an angel blade but it could still deliver a powerful punch. She held her staff that she extended and knocked one away from Dean. She watched as it recovered quickly. "They are guardians. They protect the dead and the lady. I think you found an entrance to the tomb."

Like that was any consolation to Dean as he gave a hard punch to the next one that came at him. They were moving so fast that Dean thought there were more than they could handle. He looked over to see Castiel use his angel mojo to knock them out with that finger touch. So they were human. He turned and found Seraph's fist in front of his face.

Seraph had seen the movement and was ready for it. She reached out and grabbed it like she and Horus had practiced. She looked at Dean and let her fingers reveal the little stick she had caught. She was careful not to touch the tip and said, "Poison."

_Great, that just makes things easier._ Dean didn't know what to do about that as he watched Seraph catch another dart with her hand and block another with her staff. He saw Castiel trying to get to one of the things that was doing the poison to knock him out. It was then that he had been given a shoulder to the gut and he was pinned and felt a pair of hands on his neck and the air was slowly being sucked out.

"Stop."

Dean didn't recognize the language that was being spoken but he did recognize the voice. He looked just as the guy choking him did and he spotted Robbie Silva. She was making a strange gesture and she repeated what she had just said. He noticed that she was holding something that seemed to be working since the things were backing off.

Robbie Silva jumped off the horse she had borrowed and advanced towards the group. She looked at the people in the masks and barked at them. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea as they backed off as she made her way towards Dean. She gave a last look and helped him up, "I said that I would catch up."

Dean rubbed his throat as he got to his feet, "Thanks."

Robbie looked back at the group that was keeping its distance but advancing a little. She barked at them again and said something else. They backed up and she turned back towards Dean, "No problem. Good thing I know the language right?" She grinned at her response.

"Your timing is fortunate," Castiel replied as he joined the group.

Robbie thought the angel looked more like a tax accountant. It seemed very out of place to her but she had seen quite a bit and she wasn't going to say a thing. She looked at the angel and replied, "Well I got what we needed but there is one more thing. As it turns out, what I have isn't enough."

"Oh well that's just perfect." Dean ran a hand through his hair. He watched as Seraph ran her hands along the door to look for a means of getting in. He figured she was listening to everything even though she was busy.

"Hey, it's not my fault that texts thought to be myth and in pictures if we're lucky don't show everything," Robbie retorted. "The reason I say that is because the spell we need isn't in my book. We need a codex that is associated with the dead and it's somewhere in that tomb which I am guessing is a maze of tunnels and the like."

"Well it's a good thing you're around," Dean replied in a fit of sarcasm. "You find how to open that Seraph?"

Robbie ignored Dean and pushed her way forward. She had been watching Seraph and was tempted to point out the correct thing but it was just better to go and do it. She apologized with an 'excuse me' and punched in a round stone that had been ticking out. The door popped open and she gave a slight glare at Dean and said, "Now what we're looking for is buried inside the statue of the goddess. At least that's what the stories say in the translations and yes I am aware that it sounds a lot like one of those B-movies from the blacklisting days of Hollywood." She pulled out a flashlight and tossed it at Dean and pulled out a second one.

Seraph raised her brow at the newcomer and gave a look at Castiel. They were there as solid muscle pretty much. It was up to Dean to find the way and it looked like they were going to get a helping hand in the form of this woman who knew the language of the people. She got the feeling that this was going to be rather fun in terms of watching humans interact. Gabriel had been right in pushing her towards exploring more of the human world.

Dean had to admit that it really was like those old movies that Angela would watch all day if given the chance. She loved those old classics even if the effects were old school and cheesy. The walls were dirty and it smelled musty as he followed Robbie's lead. He couldn't read what was on the walls worth a damn so he was willing to let her take the lead. "So you know which way this statue is?"

"Just reading the signs on the walls," Robbie replied as she shined her light around. "There is the possibility that it has been moved. It's like this place was designed like some of the pyramids south of the border that I've been to. This though is designed underground. If I'm not mistaken it looks like that it goes right where they are doing the development."

"Aren't there laws or something to prevent it?"

"If there is proof. My guess was that this was built so long ago and because the whole story with the Lady of the Dead was a considered a myth, it wasn't taken seriously." Robbie touched one of the reliefs to read it. She ran her fingers along more and studied them. "Ah. This way."

The tunnel let them in the right direction since Robbie took the time to point out what they said. Their way was blocked though by a pile of rocks and rubble. Dean looked at it and said, "Well that's not going anywhere."

It was Seraph and Robbie that started moving the rocks. It was long and slow but they had to make sure that it didn't cave in. Dean eventually got in with the help of Castiel. He was moving a rock when the pile he was next gave way and they and he went down. He shouted, "Sonofabitch!" His voice echoed through the caverns.

Robbie poked her head in and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm good," Dean replied as he rubbed his head. It was a bumped a bit but he had worse. "I've had worse."

"More likely," Robbie replied as she slid down in. She was followed by Castiel and Seraph.

They had stumbled into a room that told the story of the whole calavera stone and the goddess and Catrina. Robbie couldn't help but get excited about the whole thing. She finally found the right door to go through and pointed. "This way."

They were almost out when a sound distracted them. Dean turned and saw a huge chunk of rock fly at him. He dodged out of the way and looked to see spirits, a lot of them appearing. He got to his feet and asked, "Who the hell are these guys?"

The spirits were dressed like natives and some came from later time periods. It was like a hodgepodge of extras for a zombie movie. Dean had no idea what to think of this. It was Castiel who spoke, "Descendants of the native peoples. Some are priests."

"Okay then," Dean fired his Taurus since there were iron rounds in it. One of the spirits disappeared but that only seemed to piss them off. The best thing to do was run. He grabbed Robbie and tugged her along, "Come on Doc. Go."

* * *

**A/N:** Sam learns of the plot and Dean's to the rescue with some friends and as usual the fugly makes life difficult. Stay tuned for more Day of the Dead...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Angela awoke slowly realizing that she was on her back. The last thing she remembered was chasing their man Peña and she lost him once they got near the cemetery. She looked around and then he appeared out of nowhere. She moved her head slightly and felt the slight pang of a headache. She rightly guessed that he used the head technique thingy that she was familiar with and she was going to have a headache for a while. She knew how Sam felt.

Sighing inwardly, Angela looked upwards towards her hands. She moved them slightly and felt the familiar trappings of shackles. She studied them and gave a tug and found that her hands were suspended above her head. She gave a snort and her hair blew off her face. The locks were coming out of her hairstyle but that wasn't the problem; the problem was that her hands were tied literally.

The cold underneath told her that she was on a stone slab of some sort. Looking up at the sky she saw that she was looking at stone and bits of root. So that told her the place was underground. It vaguely occurred to her that she was in the actual tomb of Catrina or something like that. Talk about legends that are actually true. She kept her movements to a minimum to not draw attention while she thought of a way to get out of this.

At least the bracelet hadn't come off. A glance at her right told her that it was still there. She couldn't turn it to see the blue stone to see if it was up to something. Usually she could tell just be sensing it. Hell she could feel the aggressive nature of the bracelet when she saw Uriel the first time and Castiel introduced him as a specialist. It made itself known when she warned the angel not to harm Sam like it was attuned to her emotions. Then again that was the thing with objects of power that were soul based.

The Orion belt she still had apprehensions about wearing it since she was certain that she was not of the bloodlines that it supposedly was supposed to choose from. Yet it stayed on her wrist when she put it on first thing in the morning. That was what had her nervous since her movements were like habit when she put it on; like it was hers but she was certain that she was just a carrier of the belt until the true wielder was revealed to her. She was willing to accept that but it didn't make her feel better since Absolution was there first and while they got along, it felt like that antagonistic relationship she had with Kaye. They didn't fight like they did when she nearly died when Lenya stabbed her but it still felt exhausting as she was watching them and making sure that they behaved. It was one thing on top of another in this seals game.

_I feel like the hits just keep on coming and I can't see where I'm going from there. It's like it is blinding me to something I should be paying more attention to. I should be paying attention to someone like Ruby._

Angela sighed. At the moment she knew that Ruby hadn't come around to be a pain in the ass. The armistice was still in place since so far she hadn't seen what Ruby intended to do. She was willing though to follow Sam's lead and she had said her piece and didn't bring it up again. She wanted to focus on trying to gain Sam's trust again. Even though they talked about it, she was unsure of the looks she had caught of him looking at her. She couldn't decipher what they meant but it was habit to think worst case scenario and it hurt in regards to Sam.

A squeaking noise caught her attention and she looked down as far as her head could look. It turned out to be one of the desert field mice that was squeaking on her chest. Most women would have been screaming their heads off but after five hundred years of crap that was more important, to be scared of a mouse was trivial… well not as big a deal as being scared of stuffed heads on a wall. She looked at it as it moved on her chest.

The mouse squeaked and looked at her. It was just doing its business and because she wasn't doing anything to get rid of it, it stayed there. She murmured, "You planning on making a nest there?"

The mouse squeaked some more. It looked at her like it had understood what she said. Angela looked at it with a slightly raised brow. She said, "You understand me?" She paused a moment and then said, "Here I am talking to a fricking mouse and I'm the one that is chained to a rock."

The mouse squeaked and then started moving. It scampered off her chest and down to her abdomen and then off to her left. She followed it and then noticed the skeleton that had been placed right beside her. She raised her brow more out of surprise than in a screaming fit. "Seriously?"

"Isn't she beautiful?"

Angela turned to look at the owner of the voice. She saw Peña dressed in the traditional garb of the native priests of the Mesoamerican gods. The detail was astounding and if she had a chance to inspect closer she would have noticed that it was authentic from the era that they were most prominent. At the moment she was focused on her quarry that had eluded her and then captured her. She replied, "I'll admit that the human form is beautiful whether alive or skin and bones. It is after all the greatest creation that the Creator came up with."

"The gods created us."

It was pointless to argue but Angela was guessing that she was to be a sacrifice of some sort and if she delayed it enough, there was the chance that Sam and Dean would pop out and kick ass. She didn't doubt that they would come. It was the matter of when and she needed to make sure that she gave them plenty of time. She replied in a similar tone that Sam would use when correcting Dean on Jesus' birth, "No the gods were created by the Creator in the beginning and along with them he created the Ancients, the first demons for there can't be light without day."

"The gods created us," Peña replied in a firm tone. He gave a slight look of annoyance at Angela. "You should know that. You are the quetzal princess."

Angela raised her brow again at that. Being well versed in history and culture, she was well aware that there were different points of reference to her as Absolution. She was called by different names and it sounded different in different languages. Most commonly was her title Absolution in deference to her blade and something about the knights of old and that kind of thing. She was called the warrior princess and the earthbound angel; the latter was fairly recent since Castiel was the one that liked pointing out every supposed reference of her.

Being referred to as the quetzal princess was a new one to her. She was familiar enough with Mesoamerican cultures to know that the quetzal reference was very significant. The quetzal feathers were considered the most prized of the people and were often used to signify royalty. The birds were never killed but caught in nets for their feathers and then released. The fact that it was used in regards to royalty, Angela could put together the fact that this was a version of her association to the warrior royalty. She looked at Peña and replied, "I know that I am considered the earthbound angel by some. As to the quetzal princess… I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Don't insult my intelligence. I saw the mark."

Angela knew what he was talking about. That was the one thing that people well versed in the old texts knew what to look for. It was the one thing that would set her apart from all the others who were destined to be malachi; the messengers, not prophets, chosen to be the warriors, the whatever… the defenders of mankind. Her mark denoted her as the Malachi and was what she had given Sam as the challenge. Still she could play dumb. She had been doing it for so long to protect herself and the people that knew her it was second nature. "What mark? The tattoo on my ass that says 'Kiss my ass'?"

She expected the smack to the face. She had done this enough times to expect it. She knew how to react and how to use it to just be a general pain in the ass. She could only hope that Sam wouldn't overreact. She knew Sam was there. Even unconscious she could pick his scent and she could pick up the smells of the earth. It reminded her of one of her escape attempts and she was underground; the mining tunnels within the compound.

Peña looked at his sacrifice and merely growled. The impertinence was trying and he needed to get the ritual underway. "Your disrespect for the unique position you have been chosen for is annoying. Something should have been done to curb that defiance."

"Well attempts have been made but as you can see I just didn't make the grade," Angela replied with a heavy tone of sarcasm. Her teeth had made a slight showing. She couldn't resist since he might as well see what he was getting from her. People had the misconception that what she was in the stories was human.

"Yes the Hellenistic scroll tells much of trying to tame the Malachi."

"Yeah I know that since I lived through it. I just happened to find the sap that liked to write everything down about what happened. Old news."

"Then you must be delighted to know that the quetzal princess is destined to raise the dead."

Angela pretended to think about it some. Again she adopted Sam's tone when he was correcting Dean, "Um not really. Since I am assuming that the quetzal princess and the warrior princess are one and the same, then you would know that specifically the text says that…"

The backhand told Angela that he was not in the mood. It was pretty hard since she felt blood in her mouth. That was moot since the bastard was saying, "When I want a history lesson, I will look into it myself. I will not tolerate interference. Not on this night."

Angela ran her tongue along her teeth to clean the blood off. The sanguine taste of her own was rather invigorating in a weird sense but it wasn't like she was going to break free any time soon. That kind of crap was for the movies. She paid attention to what was being said and replied, "I know. It is the Day of the Dead, the holiday that was appropriated by the white foreign devils to coincide with All Souls Day. So am I the ritual sacrifice."

"Don't be so morbid."

"Even I know that the people then knew that to best honor life and death was to sacrifice to the gods. The heart offered to the four corners and placed in a place of honor. Though I must say that shoving the body down the stairs will be sadly lacking in this setup and one that I myself am glad that will not be done."

"Please. As much as your heart would be a prize offering to the gods that practice is sorely out of date."

"Yeah because of the conquistadors so the only reason you would need me is satisfy a requirement of possibly resurrection or freedom." Angela was pulling this out of a hat but it was the best thing she could come up with. The bones next to her said as much so that meant a sacrifice was needed to bring something to life.

"Well you are right that a resurrection will be done. Mictecacihuatl should be revered and has lamented on the lack of faith of the people that have guarded this land since they were exiled here." Peña then recited something in Nahuatl and the ghostly image of Catrina appeared.

Angela looked the spirit and watched the flickering. It showed that there were two melded in there. So the legend was true that Catrina was bound to the goddess and in turn was bound to the stone. That was some serious mojo work and could produce serious trouble. "So you intend to physically manifest Mictecacihuatl?"

"She will rise and teach those developers that the dead should be respected."

"And what then? Turn her against the people of this town?" Angela raised her brow as she studied the spirit that was flickering between the two images overlaying each other. "They have been loyal in their own way by celebrating this day. They may not remember her but they follow what she asks. That's what happens with time and tradition."

"Which is why this will make them remember."

Angela pursed her lips together and looked up at the ceiling. She was piecing together pieces of this puzzle and she didn't like the fact that she might be used to manifest a bound goddess. She had done it before and that was willingly and for a goddess that was more like how Lord Onigen meant to her. This was another story. "So you mean to separate Catrina and Mictecacihuatl? That takes serious mojo and not to mention willing participants."

"Which is why you will be willing. Catrina will be back in her own body and the goddess will be set free."

"Free as in you have complete control over her with the stone," Angela shot back. "I can tell you for certain that this won't bode well for you."

Peña shot a glare at Angela and pulled out a stone tablet that had hieroglyphs on it. He began reading it in the Nahuatl. Angela narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched the spirit of Catrina separate and flow right into the bones. The skeleton jerked with life and Angela felt her eyes widen slightly. She then turned to see Peña over her. He said in Nahuatl, "With this spell you will bring the lady to life and I will have my vengeance."

* * *

It was hard work trying to find the Mictecacihuatl statue with a bunch of dead people coming after you. To Dean this felt like a B-movie or one of those cheap horror flicks. It was rather comical to see Castiel and Seraph occasionally backhand one and send them flying. Most of the time, they were using their angel mojo to put them down, and they were nothing but a pile of skin and bones.

He really didn't want to shoot them and there wasn't a point really since it didn't take them down. For once he wished he had a bit of Angela's mojo with the whole tele- whatever thing she did by moving things with her mind. At least he could help better Castiel and Seraph who were just blowing through and covering their flank. "How much further Doc?"

Robbie had been running as fast as she could to stay ahead of the dead people chasing them and to try and find the stupid statue. It felt like she was in a movie being made to go through all these hoops and stuff and it was with things that she previously thought didn't exist. She seriously was considering getting hammered after this was over.

As she was running and making sure that she didn't miss anything crucial in terms of direction, she heard Dean and replied, "You wanna take the lead?"

Dean took that to mean that she was still working on a few things. Patience was not a virtue for him even though he learned to work with it hanging around his favorite girl. He replied, "Patience is not a virtue right now."

"Then you try it."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah like I can read squiggles."

"Your sister can."

The banter was helpful in alleviating the situation and Robbie became more confident in what she was looking for. She was ready to jump for joy as they rounded a corner and said, "There it is. The statue of Mictecacihuatl." She paused to look on the statue with awe.

It was made of blackened stone. Robbie knew it wasn't obsidian since that was like glass. More likely it was basalt since that seemed to be the common material used in things like this. She could remember with glee how much she liked viewing the Olmec heads a few years back. Just to see to scale the size compared to humans… it made you wonder how they actually did it since modern methods failed to copy the exact methods as before.

"Are you going to find whatever it is you're looking for or just stand there?"

Robbie snapped out of her appreciation reverie and cast a look at Dean. She then approached the statue and started looking. She touched the glyphs and read the inscription. Had she been on a normal excavation, she would have taken her time and did her best at preservation. As it were, there was a case of life and death and she got the feeling that it was going to be a lot of that stuff that belonged in fairy tales.

Dean decided to get practical and used the shotgun that he had handy. He swung it like a club at the dead guys and knocked them over. They didn't want to get back up after that. At least he thought so. He checked to make sure that he still had a few other odds and ends that he brought along since it seemed like a good idea at the time and because the owner would be glad to have them. Plus he would like to see his brother in action.

Seraph covered Dean since she was the closest and she was pleased at the ingenuity he had against this strange sight. At least they hadn't done anything to get a more serious punishment from the goddess. As to the machinations of these things… that was another story and one that she caught in time.

She hadn't noticed the booby trap until one of the dead things hit a lever when it went down and she noticed the blade coming at Dean. Seraph was quick on the draw as she gave a palm thrust to Dean's chest to knock him back. She barely retracted her hand as the blade swooped by. She looked at Dean and said, "Sorry about that." She abruptly turned and gave an elbow to another dead body that tried to grab her.

Dean hadn't expected the shove and would have said something if he hadn't seen the blade. _Fricking booby traps now? Seriously I think we stumbled onto a cheesy movie set._ Out loud he replied, "No problem."

"Need a little help here."

Dean turned to see Robbie throwing a rock at some more of these undead things or people or whatever. They were coming in the other way. This guy really wanted them distracted enough to do what he wanted. He swung the shotgun he was holding and barreled the few that were there down like some twisted comedy. "You okay Doc?"

"Fine I just need…" Robbie pulled the sword out of the halter slung over Dean's shoulder and jammed it into the line for an opening that she found. "Perfect." She shoved the tip into the crack she had found.

"Hey that's not a toy," Dean retorted trying to reach for the sword. Having gotten a surprise at the Academy he wasn't going to tempt fate regarding the sword even though it/she said she liked it. Besides, he didn't think that Angela was going to like how Absolution was being used.

"Relax," Robbie replied, "It's made of Spanish steel, stronger than blades forged in England and perfect balance." She kept jiggling until she got out enough to grasp with her fingers. "Besides I only needed to get a little bit out. See? No harm, no foul," she replied motioning to the blade and she tossed it back at Dean.

"Absolution is not a toy and it's not mine," Dean said unnecessarily as he put Absolution back where it belonged. He then moved to help her pull the stone slab away.

"Right and you're just carrying it along for your brother who is probably the gamer in your family," Robbie teased as she pulled on the came out, the stone grinding upon stone until it popped open. Robbie fell to the ground as the slab landed nearby and gave a slight blow of air to get her bangs out of the way. "At least it wasn't bobby trapped. That would have made a bad day worse."

What could Dean say to that? Nothing at the moment since they needed to get what they needed and get a move on. He replied, "Now you're thinking about that? That's just perfect." He took a swing with his shotgun at one of the dead people that managed to get past Castiel and Seraph. "Come on Doc."

"So pushy," Robbie muttered as she reached in. She pulled out a box made in the elaborate styles of the wealthy in Mesoamerica. She could make out the glyphs to the gods, primarily Quetzalcoatl since he was the patron god of the arts, crafts and farming. She pulled the lid open and saw nestled in there the scroll writings that were thought to be myth. "The Quetzal scroll," she breathed out.

"We haven't got all day. Is that the right one?"

Robbie knew that Dean was right. She carefully pulled it out and was surprised that it didn't crumble in her hands. She tucked it against her. "It's the one. Now we got to get to where the ritual is going to take place."

"That won't be a problem," Castiel said in his gravelly voice as he fell back to where Dean and Robbie were.

"Really? You got a plan?" Robbie looked at the angel with a quizzical expression.

Seraph finished by making a sweeping gesture with her staff and the line of bodies that had been advancing were pushed back. She ran to join them and held her weapon ready. "Anytime you want to surprise us Cas, now is the time to do it."

Castiel had waited until he was certain Dean and Robbie were close. He looked at Dean and said, "We will hold them off. Find Angela and Sam."

Dean started to protest, "Wait Cas…" It was lost though as the angel put his hands on both him and Robbie and he found himself in another room that was dead people free. He looked around and only saw Robbie standing near him holding the scroll and the bag. Castiel and Seraph were nowhere to be found. "Great."

Robbie heard something and smacked Dean on the arm to indicate that he should be quiet. She started towards the voices that she was picking up and kept to the shadows. She came upon the source and her eyes widened slightly. "Okay. A couple of years ago, this would have seemed really gross to me," she whispered.

"Welcome to my world," Dean replied as he leaned in to see.

He saw a complete skeleton on the table and next to it was Angela and she was shackled to it. He saw the guy dressed in robes that were old and holding a stone knife and next to him was a ghostly apparition that looked like the statue of Mictecacihuatl and it was fading in and out. The skeleton was moving. There was movement that caught his eye and he saw his brother Sam struggling.

_Always liked getting tied up didn't ya Sammy?_

Dean couldn't help the thought as an idea came to mind. He started motioning to Robbie and whispered out a plan. At the same time there were dead people that were actually priests from that time coming out and surrounding the altar table. Dean gave a slight movement and said, "Looks like they want to make the goddess manifest and they're gonna use Angie to do it."

"That's ridiculous. How do you know?"

"Angie's… special," Dean replied for lack of a better term as he peered around. He took one last look and then back to Robbie. "Okay so you got the plan?"

"I still think I should be the one," Robbie countered.

Dean made an annoyed look and slid out and started moving leaving Robbie in place to do what he came up with. He got to where he had the high ground, sort of, and as loudly as he could, he shouted, "Look Angie, I found one of those books you like to read."

* * *

**A/N: **Plot sound familiar? Looks like the fight is on. Stay tuned for the next thrilling chapter of Day of the Dead...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Look Angie, I found one of those books you like to read!_

Sam looked in the direction of his brother's voice. He almost had the knots undone but he knew that he was going to be too late. He struggled harder the moment he saw the knife go up. It looked like he was going to stab her in the chest. When his brother shouted out he looked and saw Dean dancing like an idiot and holding what looked like a bunch of old parchment or something. He failed to notice that someone was moving towards him.

When he felt something touch his hands, Sam jumped. He turned to look and saw Robbie Silva. She motioned that he was to be quiet and she held up Angela's chakram. Sam felt his lips twitch. Leave it to Dean to bring something like that.

He felt the ropes go free and he moved to undo his ankles. He had rope burn and his nails and fingertips looked like crap but at least he was free. He gave a slight nod and said, "Thanks."

Robbie gave a slight smile, "No problem."

Meanwhile Dean's distraction had the attention of Peña as well as everyone at the altar. Angela twisted her head and saw Dean waving above his head a bunch of old scrolls and the scholar in her winced at the maltreatment they were getting. The practical side of her caught that it was all for show; that there was a purpose behind it. That was more in line of what Dean would do. Still it was ridiculous and she said, "There won't be much left with you waving it around like an idiot."

"Hey can't blame a guy for trying. You're not the candy and flowers type of girl."

Peña growled in Nahuatl, "The Quetzal scrolls." He started towards Dean and laid the knife by the skeleton that was moving slightly. That was certainly a find.

Angela noticed the air that Peña adopted when he saw Dean with the scrolls. It was certainly a lucky break that Dean had them but the question of whether or not the stories about it were true. It was the heck of a time to try and prove that story. She really couldn't give an opinion since she was the one strapped to a ceremonial altar that served best on top of a large pyramid roughly five hundred years ago though the shackles were an extra since most warriors went willingly. Actually to go willingly was a sign of devotion. She looked over at Dean and said, "Do you have a plan to get me off of here? Open the scrolls Dean. There's an inscription in there."

"Like I can read it," Dean retorted. He looked at it and undid the cording that held it together. It was tied tight. On the outside he saw some writing and then saw the guy coming at him. "So what do you want me to do? Improvise?"

"Do what you do best," Angela replied with a slight roll of her eyes. She knew that Dean couldn't read Nahuatl since he had a hard time with Mictecacihuatl's name. She then remembered something, "Tell it to translate."

Dean had been in a side step away from Peña when he heard that. He looked up and frowned, "What the hell?"

"Just do it."

At that moment there was a whirl and metal upon metal clanged. Angela looked to see that her left arm was free and Sam entered the picture and picked up her chakram where it landed. "Perfect timing Sam," she murmured.

Sam couldn't answer though since he was distracted by walking dead coming at him as well as spirits. The goddess wasn't moving. She was just watching them as she flickered in and out of existence. It was no contest since he didn't care at the moment that they were human. He just punched the solid things aside and used the chakram to combat the ghosts.

Angela twisted to try and see if she could use her own strength to pull the chains loose. She had a bit more leverage to attempt it but she was still on the stone slab and there wasn't enough slack for her to get to her knees. As it were she was flat on her stomach and her right wrist was still shackled and she was trying to tug it free. The best she could do was to watch Sam as he was flinging aside the rotting corpses of the priests and using her chakram on the spirits that appeared.

Sam for his part was doing well. He didn't have a long reach though with just the chakram and he was more comfortable if he had something longer or more familiar. He was to get his wish when he heard Dean shout, "Sam!"

Sam turned and automatically grabbed Absolution as Dean tossed it to him. He held it and watched Dean continue his run throughout the room and still holding the scrolls. It was a good thing since Peña was chasing after his brother and he was wielding something that Sam would rather not know the name to. He knew that Dean would be able to handle himself and he had help from Robbie who was wielding the sawed off shotgun and she wasn't afraid to use it to get rid of the spirits and to give Dean a clear running.

Sam swung Absolution to dispel a few spirits and found himself looking down at Angela who was just watching since she had nothing better to do at the moment. She said, "Pretty good entertainment Sam." She smiled as she said it.

Sam couldn't help but give a slight chuckle. He raised Absolution to strike the last shackle when he was blown backwards and he hit a column and landed forward. He felt winded but he hadn't let go of Absolution but he did of the chakram.

Angela turned to see that Peña had given up on chasing Dean and sent the spirits or rather had the goddess send the spirits after him. He was the one that sent Sam flying and she was surprised. He was human but that kind of thing was witch mojo or messing with one of the creatures she knew could do that.

It was startling when Peña looked at her and asked, "Did you really think that a priest was _that _helpless quetzal princess?"

Angela said nothing but looked around. She was still shackled and couldn't reach anything that could be used as a weapon. The closest thing was her chakram and she was nowhere near it. She gave a slight twist of her head, knowing what she was going to have to do. She glanced at Sam who was being Peña's Sammy toy and being thrown around and then at her chakram. Narrowing her eyes, she concentrated.

Sam was beginning to think that he would rather have a vengeful spirit right about now. With them tossing him around was consistent. This guy alternated between his abilities and physical strength and that last one was a palm thrust to the chest. It hurt like hell and had him gasping for air. He then felt himself being lifted by the back of his shirt and the distance between him and the ground grew rapidly. He was then turned to look at Peña and felt his air being cut off by the hand squeezing on his windpipe.

Peña held onto Sam's neck and gave a slight smile. "I told you that this would end in my favor and I will have the quetzal princess."

Whatever Sam had to say he was unable to and it was not necessary anyway. At that moment something whirled by and sliced deeply into Peña's shoulder and came dangerously close to Sam's ear that he felt his hair sway but he was dropped and he landed on his feet and knees. He looked up just in time to see Peña go flying backwards with extreme force and into a column. It was weak and it crumbled as the guy collapsed.

Sam looked up to see Angela staring at the fallen guy. Her eyes were the familiar glowing orbs and her free hand was extended. It occurred to him that she must have thrown her chakram with her left even though she was predominately right handed. He caught his breath and asked, "Are you trying to find new ways to freak me out?"

Angela had reacted instantly the moment she had the chakram in her hand. She threw it even though it was an odd angle and it was with the left hand. It was a close call and she knew it but she was focused on the bastard that was after her Sam. It did occur to her that she was getting possessive over something that really wasn't hers at the level she was thinking of but that wasn't at the forefront of this conversation. When she finished with Peña, she became aware that Sam was asking her something. She looked up and said, "No. I'm just rusty with my left hand."

Sam raised his brow slightly at that. From his point of view that wasn't being rusty since it was accurate. He replied, "If you say so."

Angela replied, "Honest truth." She watched as Sam swung Absolution at her right shackle. She held still and gave Sam the tension he needed. It came free easily. Once she was off the altar table she stuck her arm out and her chakram returned to her hand and she put it on her belt. "I was aiming for the head."

Sam wasn't sure of what to say about that at first as he helped her down. He still held onto Absolution. "Still a good shot."

"And you're a bad liar," Angela replied looking at Sam. Her eyes spoke of apology as she gave a slight pat on his shoulder. "Let's get the scrolls."

They started walking when a sound rumbled and the scraping of stone filled the air. They turned to see stone doors opening and jaguar and eagle warriors came out ready to do battle. Angela had her brow raised like she was deciding whether to be shocked or amused. Sam recognized it well and it often led to the virago making a stand. He held Absolution ready with one hand and the other was brought in a protective gesture in front of Angela. He kept his eye on whatever they were and muttered, "I guess this is living your guilty pleasure."

"I've had more fun living it in India with the Kali cults," Angela replied truthfully. "Though the Shaolin monks in China were much more explanative." She gave a slight shake of her head. _I seriously just wanted a regular salt and burn._

"Kali cults?" Sam dropped his stance and looked at her. "Seriously?"

The warriors coming at them were chirping. They weren't sure about what was going on between the two warriors they were facing. Angela noticed they were still advancing and looked at Sam, "Yes, but can we discuss this later? Right now we have temple warriors advancing on us."

Sam realized that their conversation was rather out of place. He turned his attention back to the warriors. He was distracted when something took a swipe at Angela and she said something. He almost got a slice from the weapon of the jaguar warrior. He jumped away and for the first time, aside from his time in the maze, he saw the wisdom in running away.

* * *

Dean had been running from spirits while looking at the scrolls. He muttered, "Yeah right like I can tell you to translate into something like phonetic English."

He had been looking for Robbie to give the darn thing to her but he couldn't find her. He heard shotgun rounds being popped out so that meant she was around somewhere. He was actually impressed that she could be that good with a shotgun. Then again he was talking about the chick that picked up a live scorpion and cooed to it like was a puppy. Experience told him that when you got a chick who knew what she was doing, you didn't question or you got something worse than a cold shoulder.

After he had been muttering and telling the scrolls to translate into something like phonetic English, he took a look down. The cord was still tying it shut but there was something more. The glyphs were still there and there was something else. He peered closer.

Dean frowned as he walked. Somehow he managed to avoid being detected by the spirits and the guy controlling the goddess. He was aware of Sam grunting and the sound of metal clanging and punches being thrown but that failed to get his attention. He was looking at what passed for the cover and saw unmistakably English, not phonetic but it was in English. Actually it was the language written in the Latin alphabet if he was to be geek picky like Sam. He made slight face and muttered, "So it did translate. Looks like there's a spell or something. Maybe it might help."

Out loud he read the inscription… well the first part since he was able to read it without butchering it too bad. The words weren't like that long and complicated name of the goddess. Once he was finished, he smiled proudly for being able to do it but he didn't realize what he had done until he heard the stone scraping.

Looking he saw the warriors dressed like eagles and jaguars and he wondered what the hell happened. He looked like he would when he got caught with his foot in his mouth when he asked about him dying by car when Sam was stuck in the loop of Tuesdays. He was surprised that he had been the one to do that and couldn't help it, "Oh boy."

"What did you do?"

Dean looked to see Robbie standing by him. She was holding the shotgun and looking around for a target when the animal guys came out. Dean realized that she must've found him and realized that he had done something. He replied a bit sheepishly, "Um, I read off of this." He motioned with the scrolls.

Robbie took a moment to assess the situation. This looked really bad and something that shouldn't even be happening but it was. She was definitely going to need more than a stiff drink. She needed several. "You read an inscription?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I thought you said that you couldn't read Nahuatl." Robbie looked at Dean as she tried to contemplate how the stakes changed.

"I can't. I read this," Dean pointed to the Latinized words.

Robbie looked at the document. She hadn't seen that before and she knew that Dean wouldn't willfully destroy something like that. She didn't know what to make of it. A sound made her look up and she saw Sam and Angela almost arguing while they were being advanced upon. She wondered who the hell she was working with if they were arguing like a married couple while they were in the middle of a fight. It had been one strange day. She said, "Then do something."

"What do you want me to do?"

Robbie pulled a few shotgun shells out and reloaded the gun. She replied, "You can command the warriors."

"What? You've got to be kidding me," Dean replied. He wanted to get rid of the thing since Sam was in danger at the moment.

"Finish the inscription Dean. Then you can control them," Angela's voice pierced the air.

Dean looked up to see her running from a pile of bones and the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The bones were rattling and holding a stone knife. The goddess was just chasing and Dean spotted Peña standing up from a pile of rubble. The guy barked an order and the first row of the warriors sprung at Sam and they had weapons that looked like they could do a lot of damage. He looked at Robbie.

Robbie was aiming at the pile of bones but she lowered it since she couldn't get a shot. She looked at him, "Finish it idiot. Then you can help Sam." She then jumped down and went to try and help Sam so there was at least two against however many.

Dean grumbled as he made a face and went back to reading the darn thing while trying to stay out of sight from Peña. The nice thing was that it was Latinized and he figured that it was exactly how the letters sounded except there was a problem. He couldn't figure it out.

At that time Angela was trying to avoid getting struck by the knife wielding skeleton who was only following orders and the pissed off goddess who was following Peña's orders. She ducked as a huge piece of stone came whirling over her head. She looked like she was getting ready to wrestle them both; she wasn't going to turn her back to them. It was a bad game of cat and mouse and she was the mouse this time.

She had noticed the warriors going after Sam. She didn't have any worries that he wouldn't be able to fend for himself. She had trained him for the bloody tournament and he had fought to the death at Onigen and he did whatever he did this past summer. She knew he could do it. Her worry was that he was outnumbered and they would end up hurting him. It was some relief when the woman she recognized as Robbie Silva from the case file jumped in and fired the shotgun. At least the odds were better than before.

Angela turned her focus towards the advancing Catrina and Mictecacihuatl. Briefly she wondered what it was about her that made her so appealing. Screw the fact that she was the Malachi. That was an obvious. Anything else was up for debate. At least she could put up a good fight. She would rather go down that way. She tentatively took a swing and hit the pile of bones on the face and they rattled. When he did the same to the goddess, she knew she was in trouble.

Mictecacihuatl charged forwards and pushed Angela into the wall and pinned her there. She looked pretty nasty when she opened her skull like mouth. Angela had her eye teeth extended already and when she grunted it looked like she was baring her fangs at the goddess. Since she had her agility working for her, Angela used it to her advantage and twisted to gain leverage to throw back the goddess and was ready to defend herself.

"I can't figure out this last set of sounds."

Angela heard Dean as she ran to hide for a breather. She couldn't hide for long and her adrenaline was up. "Which one?"

Dean was looking down and said, "Um… the tl sound."

"It's silent. It's a t sound that you stop with your tongue," Robbie called out.

Dean made a face as he looked down. That made sense. He then heard Sam grunt as he fell and the clang of metal. That meant that he had let go of Absolution. He looked up and saw Sam scampering away and trying to get to his feet while the warrior things were heading straight towards him. Dean had to act fast. He looked down and read the rest of it and prayed that he didn't butcher it.

It worked since the warriors froze but it was a close call. The weapons they had were barely touching Sam's body before they stood up and in formation. Dean was relieved that Sam was okay but how was he going to help Angela. He turned to see her get a punch from the bag of bones and it swiped at her with the knife.

Suddenly he heard a voice in his ear and he looked to see Seraph standing there. She nodded and he turned to watch. He repeated what she said and the warriors headed for the pile of bones. He watched as they started fighting with her. However that didn't save him from being charged at by Peña. Even Seraph couldn't avoid the angry blows as she was thrown aside. Dean felt his air getting choked off as he dropped the scrolls and grabbed the guy's arms.

It was sudden when the guy was knocked aside and Dean dropped. He looked to see Angela retracting her arm. That movement cost her though and the goddess was on her. At that moment though Castiel made his appearance and delivered a punch to the goddess to give her breathing room. Dean was glad for that as he picked up the scrolls and took a couple of moments to catch his breath and said, "Come on Doc. Get to work."

Robbie joined Dean and pulled open the cording. She noticed that Peña had gotten back up and he was getting ready to make his move. "Someone keep him busy."

Castiel hadn't wanted to leave Angela but she had nodded that she was all right. He went to go handle the priest after he gave a quick look at Sam. He was joined by Seraph who was enjoying having fun with a powerful priest. It had been awhile since she had done what she called heavy lifting. He took a blow that landed him into a column but he was up and back at it.

Dean watched and muttered, "Well that's easier said than done."

Robbie had worked the cords open and was sifting through the parchment. She was trying hard to be fast and it didn't help that she kept glancing the directions the fights were going on. She was trying hard to control her breathing while she spilled out the contents. "Yeah well try reenacting a spell that was supposed to be supported by belief."

Dean lowered the scrolls so they were on the ground. He started sorting out the stuff. "Come on Doc."

"Patience is a virtue and you're not helping," Robbie replied in a singsong as she glanced at another piece of parchment. It had to be there. It was the only thing that she was certain would undo the binding. The parchment was at the bottom and she said, "I got it."

"Okay what next?"

"Get the stone. That's the most important thing."

Dean looked up and saw that the stone was sitting on the altar by the sacrificial table. He could do this. He took off running since it seemed to be a good idea to run and not walk. He made it and looked around to make sure that he wasn't going to get in trouble. He took the stone and at that moment, he heard the rattle of bones and looked around when he was suddenly yanked off his feet.

Dean hit the dirt hard and was surprised that he hadn't lost the stone in the fall. He turned to see what was left of Catrina tugging and pulling at his legs and man did the bitch have a firm grip. The stone had slipped slightly from his grasp but within crawling distance if he could shake the bitch free. He started for it while kicking at the remains of the skeleton, trying to get his legs free. It was like trying to kick loose from a net. It was a pain in the ass and he was about ready to cuss when the very tips of his fingers touched the skull.

At the last moment he was able to grab it. He shouted, "Doc, catch!"

With an overhand toss, he flung it at Robbie. She caught it within her arms and rolled to avoid the attack that Peña managed to slip through and towards her. She had the scroll she needed and the ingredients were set. She put the skull down where it was supposed to and began reciting the spell. She continued to look over at the angels who were handling the priest but when she glanced over on the other side, she saw Sam get thrown and he landed hard against the sharp edge of the table, right across his shoulder blades.

Robbie watched as the one Dean called Angie give a shout. It was in a language she wasn't familiar with but she recognized the language in the eyes. She had to act fast since the goddess and the girl were now grappling each other, with each trying to choke the life out of them. She recited the last part but didn't see if it worked since she was given a hard cuff by the priest who had managed to subdue the angels and had advanced towards her.

Looking up, she saw the priest had the knife in his hand. She didn't have anything to defend herself with. She looked up as he said in Nahuatl, "Now it's your turn and a pity. I liked you doctor."

"I'd say it was your turn."

* * *

**A/N:** Sam and Angie argue like a married couple in the middle of a fight and Dean actually doesn't manage to butcher Nahuatl! Robbie worked her mojo but looks like she's in trouble. Who was it that saved her? Find out in the conclusion of Day of the Dead...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_ I'd say it was your turn._

Sam shook his head and grimaced slightly from the pain in his shoulders. He had heard the voice and knew whose voice it was but it wasn't hers. He sat up and looked around. Standing straight and still he saw Angela and she was looking at the Peña but it wasn't her. In an instant he knew; it was the goddess Mictecacihuatl talking.

He watched as she stood there looking in the direction of Peña with a look that could probably melt lead. Sam had only seen that look once and that was when she first mentioned the Old Man. It never appeared again even though she said that she wanted to rip the guy's head off times afterwards. He watched as she leapt forward and with a hard palm thrust, she sent Peña flying through the air and she landed effectively between the guy and where Robbie had fallen.

Peña retaliated once he realized that the goddess was no longer under his control. He used his abilities and powers to take on Angela who was hosting the goddess. It was fair to say that he was in over his head since his moves didn't work like he wanted. So he went with the last resort and that was with hand to hand.

Sam managed to sit up even though his shoulders were killing him. He had grasped Absolution in his free hand and used it as a bit of leverage. He felt the pulse that could have been mistaken for annoyance but chose to ignore it. Besides the, whole battle thing wasn't over just yet.

Apparently Peña had a few tricks up his sleeve and managed to summon spirits to make life hell for them at the moment. Sam was feeling weary and he noticed that Dean was trying to help Robbie since they had their own problems. At least he had Absolution and then there were the warriors. He vaguely heard Robbie tell Dean to say something and he heard his brother ramble something out in a language that he was certain Dean wasn't fluent in.

The warriors began attacking the spirits that had manifested and that actually made things easier. However as with the Winchester luck, which was sometimes on par with Murphy's Law, it seemed that whatever could go wrong actually did. Sam ended up finding himself in the position of being used as leverage and it was more like using him as a human shield and a threat that if Angela didn't back off then the worse would happen. He felt the grip that was tightening on his neck and felt something sharp poke into his back.

Sam tried not to struggle too much but managed to get a look at Angela. He had ended up dropping Absolution when he had been grabbed from behind and was using both hands to keep his air from being cut off. He just looked at her and wondered if the goddess cared at all. As far as he knew she was more concerned about dead people. His Angela though cared about the living.

It was rather sudden when Angela moved and Sam swore he could see the shadowy outline of Mictecacihuatl. The next thing he heard was a scream and he was released. He looked to see Angela looking a little shocked and holding he bloody chakram but it was gone as she looked at their guy. Sam looked up and saw Peña with a bloody stump that he was grabbing. The rest of the arm was on the ground.

Sam was a bit shocked at that. Normally he knew Angela left her enemies alive and often times someone else decided their fate. Joseph met an explosive end and Lykos and Alanna were imprisoned somewhere wherever the gods sentences them. He was surprised she did anything like that. She wasn't alone however and he was surprised at the sight.

Peña had stopped screaming when he realized that he wasn't alone with the Malachi. She was looking at him with a grim expression and her amber orbs were glowing as she held the bloody weapon that he had missed. Next to her was Mictecacihuatl herself and she was standing with the Malachi. The goddess reached over and touched the Malachi on the shoulder.

Angela reacted the moment she saw the danger threat to Sam. Ever since she joined up with the Winchesters, Rule Number One was to look after both of them but ever since Milagro, it changed. She still saw red when either of them was threatened but for Sam it was so much more. She took control and leapt forward feeling like she did when she fought in a war or two. She had eyes only for Peña and struck like a snake would.

The touch on her shoulder told her that Mictecacihuatl was free and fully corporeal like Satet and Hapi. Her muttered incantation had finished what she started. As soon as she knew the goddess had been freed from the binding, she told her to jump in and she could have justice. The goddess hadn't wanted to at first but she insisted. While she had been on the slab, she debated on whether or not to allow it but decided on doing it. The way she saw it, it wasn't the goddess' fault since she had been bound and when the goddess was inside of her… she saw a few things…

"Angie?"

Angela looked back at Peña when she heard Sam's voice. She couldn't look at him just yet. She had to finish this. She touched the goddess' hand, which was a bit creepy since it was bone, and looked at the offender. She said, "You know there is one thing that is consistent when it comes to bound things. It's like an abused dog; they turn on their masters."

At that moment Mictecacihuatl was at Peña's side. The goddess gripped the guy even though he was trying to laude to her. She was ignoring him and she looked at him. It was hard to see the expression since her appearance was that of a skeleton. Her expression looked cold and expressionless as she looked at him.

Peña seemed to realize that he was in trouble. He looked at Angela and said, "Please. Do something."

Angela looked at the man. She was well aware of the whole road of best intentions but what he did… She wasn't judge or jury. The best she could do was appeal to the goddess to be lenient. She replied, "What is it that you want me to do?"

"You're the quetzal princess. The Lady will listen to you. You can explain what I have been trying to do for the people she watches over." Peña was visibly scared and he held his arm. It had been severed just above the elbow. He had no power now that the goddess was free. "It is what you do."

Angela made a slight motion of her head. She knew that she was being watched by Sam, Dean and Robbie. Castiel and Seraph she wasn't concerned about since they knew it was in her hands and they weren't in a position to judge. She was silent for a time and barely noticed the spirits that had flitted into the room. She replied, "I can't do anything except appeal for fair trial."

Mictecacihuatl didn't look at Angela but replied, "It is reasonable but I am so not inclined."

"Wait. You can't. The old laws say that I get a trial."

Angela watched as the goddess put her hand on Peña. That is what they said but there was also the clause or exception to the rule. She knew that Mictecacihuatl was taking it and she knew why. She replied, "You know the thing about binding and controlling a god? They always are aware of what they are being made to do. Like a spirit who is made to go against their will… it pisses them off."

Nothing more was said as Mictecacihuatl took a hold of Peña. The guy winced from the pain as she held fast to him. It was clear that she was angry. Peña tried appealing to her, "My lady, I was only protecting that which was the resting place of the dead. I was doing it for you." He whimpered as he said it.

Mictecacihuatl studied the old priest and then glanced at Angela who was watching. There was nothing discernible on her face but the Malachi said, "It is not in my hands but I do ask that the goddess have consideration."

Mictecacihuatl looked at Angela. She replied, "The Malachi's wishes will be considered."

Angela got a good look. It was all she could hope for, a consideration. She knew that the goddess was going to do what she wanted and there was nothing she could do. She was surprised when the skull floated towards her and the goddess gave a nod. Angela held onto as the goddess disappeared with Peña and the spirits left and the warriors went back into their place. She stayed there for a moment before she straightened up and said, "Let's go. We have to return this."

* * *

The night was still young and everything seemed right. The stone had been returned to the altar and the guardians bowed in thanks and the old hermit said that things would be made right. In the grand scheme of things justice had been served but it didn't really feel like it since the two deaths were suspicious circumstances and no suspects. The good news was that the land was being inspected more and there were some delays in the project.

Angela was walking in from the diner from where she had grabbed a bite to eat. She hadn't really spoken to either of the boys about what happened and they didn't ask questions. At least the scrolls would be safe under Robbie Silva's care. The woman had immediately adopted a 'don't ask and don't tell' policy unless she met up with other hunters. Angela had been agreeable to it and gave a pat on her shoulder after giving her cell number.

It had been fun to pet the scorpion and see the looks that appeared on her boys' faces. Dean looked like he was ready to swallow a fish and she suspected that he had seen Robbie do that before. Sam though looked ready to swing at the scorpion if it hurt her. It was just another fun thing to do since she learned how to play with dangerous creatures and she showed a great deal of respect for them. She petted the scorpion and put it on the windowsill and walked away. She needed some time to think about things and she was grateful that the boys were respectful of that. She knew that it was taking a great deal of Sam's patience and she loved him all the more for it.

She was taking a bite of diner food when she heard, "You still think that you can control a situation, don't you?"

Angela put down the fork that was now empty and turned to see Uriel standing in her room. She figured that he would turn up. Castiel was still one of his partners in the garrison they served in. She replied, "I like to think that every possible avenue that can be explored is done."

"And yet you severed a man's arm in the heat of battle," Uriel countered as he approached Angela. "A far cry from the attitude you had when we first met."

"You never have seen me in battle. Gettysburg was not a pretty sight considering that there were other forces in the Confederate army." Angela bent and took a fry from her meal and popped it into her mouth. "I know you've seen battle. I'm sure the people of Sodom and Gomorrah would say so."

Uriel made a slight clearing of his throat. It didn't sit well that she knew he was the one that destroyed those cities. How she knew, he was at a loss and he wasn't about to ask. He knew she was intelligent and Castiel's favorite. He recovered though, "Still you claim a peaceful nature and yet you indulge in the bloodthirsty antics of your kind."

"And here I was thinking that you would be proud of me for not indulging in sucking blood," Angela drawled out in sarcasm. Her eyes flickered in response and, unknown to her, there was a faint hue that appeared around her hands. "Seems to me that there is room on both sides for hypocrisy."

"Indeed since you are an abomination. Your kind are not supposed to be of the healers."

"Same song, different verse," Angela replied. "I've heard it before and yet it is here to stay. There is no changing that." She paused a moment to take a few steps. She didn't let her back face the angel since she trusted him as much as she trusted Ruby. "What do you care anyway about the way things turned out? You know as well as I that I have no say as to what the gods do."

"And yet your word is sought," Uriel countered. He took the moment to close the distance between them and look her in the eye. "You have much influence over those you meet. Even the Winchesters listen to you."

Angela raised her brow. Her eyes were narrowed as well. This wasn't the first time someone had appealed to her standing with people. She replied, "I will tell you this Uriel: I may be many things and the Winchesters may have attitudes that are not to your liking but one thing that stands is that I will not be your instrument to instruct obedience. I will not play Judas for you. I give my opinion but I do not tell them what to do."

Uriel sneered at her, "Your arrogance is not tolerable."

"To you and a few others maybe, but if my arrogance is the measure of how you treat those you want to carry out plans, then I will take that as a compliment," Angela replied not perturbed by the sneer.

"Take it as you will, Malachi," Uriel countered as he spat her title out, "but know that your defiance will not always be shielded."

"And I've heard that since the day I walked away… well took a break from this bullshit," Angela replied. She finally turned around and headed back towards the table. She popped some more food into her mouth. She finished chewing and added, "I've always faced things alone since I was literally thrown to the wolves to a… vacation that seemed like an eternity."

"Ah yes, your time spent in hell. You would know about that very well." Uriel let a smirk that was mingled with a sneer on his face. He took a step forward. "Tell me: how much of that experience have you shared with Dean?"

Angela had expected that. This was simply unfinished business from the aftermath of Samhain. She looked at the angel without a hint of emotion and replied, "I share when the timing is right."

"Ashamed is what you should be. You allowed yourself to be caught and violated…"

"Ashamed of being caught, yes. After all I trusted the intel I was given but alas I was led into a trap," Angela interrupted with a slight air intent on being infuriating in nature. She was ready to forget food but since she had a second helping of bugs earlier that evening and had fun watching her boys eat them, her hunger was making itself known. Still she knew how to control it to the point where she was stern as stone. "As for violation, I felt that way with the blood games but more so I felt betrayed and I don't think telling me that it was part of the whole trial by fire crap."

"Your arrogance was what got you caught. The same arrogance that allowed you to fail in your eyes with the mother of the Winchesters and the pretty little blonde name Jessica," Uriel countered fully intending to bring the guilt factor down on her. "It could be safe to say that it was the same arrogance that sent your precious Dean to hell."

It was tempting to strike Uriel. She had done it before and while it had been a tough fight, she had a perverse pleasure in knowing that she could kick an angel's ass like there was no tomorrow. Instead she felt her jaw muscles twitch as she looked back intently at Uriel. The urge was there but she damped it down.

Was it arrogance on her part that got Mary and Jess killed? Not really. It was blaming her shortcomings but looking back, she did what she could. She had the feelers out there and she was there to watch out for Jess. Luck involved preparation and opportunity. The same could be said for Dean. She knew the score in the way things were done with the Old Religion and she even was willing to take a step in the dark places at the cost of her own soul. No it wasn't arrogance. They were events that she prepared for but even the best laid plans didn't always pan out. She did tell Sam that her biggest problem was dealing with failure.

_Don't you set yourself up for failure with high standards?_

_Yeah I do Sam. I feel I have to try so hard because I've failed myself and let myself become vulnerable._ It was a weighty revelation in that moment for Angela but she realized that there were things she couldn't control. Maybe it was that will of God thing or… Looking at Uriel she replied, "Who isn't arrogant when they are young and haven't experienced the world Uriel? As to your accusations, I resent them. If anyone is arrogant, it is you for presuming much about me."

Uriel glared at her and had raised a hand when it was stopped by another. "Uriel."

Castiel looked ready to take on his brother as he let the full intensity of his blue eyes gaze upon Uriel. He held to the offending wrist firmly. He didn't spare a glance at Angela but he could tell that she was all right.

"Swooping down like a savior, Castiel," Uriel replied as he tugged but felt the firm grip of the other angel. "You have grown soft brother. She is nothing more than a mud monkey given a special position."

"You have overstepped your boundaries," Castiel replied firmly. His face didn't show much but his intention was clear. "The Malachi is my charge. What she has done has been in accordance."

Angela said nothing even though what Castiel said was complete bullshit. Well not all of it was since she did do with what had been written. This though was a show of Castiel's authority. She wasn't going to hide behind him but she got the point that he was protecting her. As it were, it looked like a standoff.

Uriel knew that Castiel was right. Besides, their superiors had given specific orders regarding her. He replied, "Maybe so but you and both know that she is nothing but a mud monkey to serve one purpose."

"You blaspheme," Castiel replied.

"Honest truth Castiel," Uriel replied as he yanked his hand free. He took a step back and added, "Don't treat her like you would others Castiel. She may be the chosen one but deep down she will be nothing more than a cursed abomination of a mud monkey." With a flap of feathers he was gone.

Angela took a breath and said, "And I can live with that."

Castiel stared at the spot Uriel had been ready to curse. He could understand better why his charge had the propensity and desire to do it when someone was agitating to the core. It saddened him that Uriel had little respect for their father's creations but it angered him that his charge, who had nothing but goodness in her heart and soul, was to be hounded by things that were by accident of birth and situations that ended up being out of her control.

Finally he turned and looked at her. He said, "Don't ever call yourself that."

Angela heard the forceful tone and it surprised her. She replied, "Usually I insult myself Cas. You've heard me do it before."

"It is demeaning. You are not that." Castiel looked at his charge intently and held her gaze. He was aware that he had backed her into a wall and hadn't intended on that but he had to make his point clear.

"I know Cas," Angela replied as she felt the wall press into her back. The last time an angel did that, it was to make a point and it was a damned good one. She wasn't scared of Castiel even though his current behavior was making her nervous since she had never seen him act this was before. She continued, "Uriel is a dick. I know my shortcomings since I have a human body… hell I was human before the change. I do know though that with the things that have been bothering me of late, I had about as much control as I could. Some things just happened and that is the way of it. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to feel the guilt because…"

At that point Castiel had put a finger to Angela's lips to silence her. He knew she was speaking the truth and that she had realized that she was letting go of the fault in regards to Sam, Dean, their parents… the people she had met over the centuries; they had their part to play and she was starting to understand it.

He kept his finger pressed gently on her lips as he peered into her eyes. He then said, "I know. You are a beautiful thing Angela. That what makes you choose the path you want; it's what makes you beautiful."

Slowly he removed his finger and leaned in close. Angela tried not to react since this was completely out of character and yet she expected a peck on the cheek. Instead though it was gentle touch to her lips and she felt the warmth of his grace touch her.

She didn't say or do anything about it but watched as Castiel finished the kiss and stepped back. He looked at her and gave a slight nod before leaving. Angela just stood there against the wall for a full three minutes before she moved and went to use her UV pen to repel all angels except Castiel, out of habit as well as the traps and wards against demons. It kept her busy along with her now cold meal as she pondered her angel's actions.

She finally relaxed after a time and decided to read one of her favorite authors. She fished out her first edition of _The Raven_ and fondled the book lovingly as she glanced at the dedication as well as the special message at the back. She was looking forward to reading it since it was one of the last gifts she received on her birthday. Then she heard a knock and holding her book she opened it and was surprised to see none other than Sam standing outside.

* * *

"It's a nice view."

Angela sat on the ground holding the cake that she had split with Sam and gazed over the rise. It was a nice sight. She could make out the candles lit over the graves and could make out the people that were doing justice to this day. It reminded her of the lanterns that they set upon the river for Lord Onigen. She gave a slight smile and replied, "It is."

Sam had put the cake she had split aside and was enjoying a beer from the cooler he had lugged up the rise. It had been an idea he had since he saw her face in the tomb earlier. He figured that she could use a bit cheering up and even though it was related to something that she had been reluctant to acknowledge in the first place, it worked out well. She looked happy and that produced a warm feeling in his gut and he rather liked it. He replied, "Um… I'm guessing that everything is okay now?"

Angela knew he was trying to be helpful and he was experimenting in his approach with her. She really had given her boys a merry go round with that. Dean was more consistent and she was glad of that since she was sure of her feelings for him and Sam and Dean's feelings for her but she wasn't sure of Sam's feelings for her. So far it seemed that he was content with the brother looking after sister role. She could work with that and she appreciated his gestures. She replied, "Fine now. Some things that I've always accepted have change. Amazing what new perceptions do."

"I take it that you've changed your mind about a few things," Sam replied. Absently he took a bite of cake even though he wasn't one to have a sweet tooth. He was aware that he was doing it to please her and he was fine with that.

"Indeed," Angela replied as she drew up her legs. "Life is short." She couldn't help but chuckle but was pleased that Sam did the same. "When someone hangs on too tight to something that is beyond what the best laid plans anticipate, it can lead to a slow death but when you look at it and accept it… the world changes."

"Lesson number two?"

Angela smiled as she looked at Sam. "Exactly. I guess I finally listened to my own advice."

Sam smiled and agreed, "Finally."

They both laughed as they sat on the rise watching the candlelight flicker. Angela leaned against Sam as they watched the stars and the lights. She smiled content with the fact that she accepted things that had happened. She could only look forward towards the horizon even if there were more strange than usual being shot her way.

* * *

**A/N:** We've come to the end and another case solved and it looks like a few surprises that people didn't see coming. Stay tuned for episode 3.06 Jewel of the Nile...


End file.
